Overview

• In practice sessions after the preseason opener, Dugger has shifted into second-team reps despite starting the game and remaining healthy.
• Fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson led the team with five tackles in that opener and has since been granted starter-level practice looks next to established safeties.
• Mike Vrabel’s new regime has been actively rotating safeties in training camp as part of broader defensive experimentation.
• Dugger is in the first season of a four-year, $58 million extension that carries a $15.3 million cap charge, complicating roster planning if his role diminishes further.
• With final roster cuts looming on August 27, observers are labeling Dugger a potential cut candidate based on his reduced practice role and salary impact.