Overview
- The deal sends Dugger and a 2026 seventh-round pick to Pittsburgh for a 2026 sixth-rounder, according to multiple reports.
- Ian Rapoport reports the Steelers are placing starting safety DeShon Elliott on injured reserve after a knee injury, accelerating the search for depth.
- Under new coach Mike Vrabel, Dugger lost his starting role in New England, logging roughly 38–44% of defensive snaps with a middling Pro Football Focus grade.
- The move capped a busy night for the Patriots, who also dealt edge rusher Keion White to the 49ers in a similar sixth-for-seventh-round pick swap.
- Dugger signed a four-year deal worth about $58 million in 2024; a report that the final two years were voided, which would make him a free agent after 2025, is developing and not yet widely confirmed.