Should Patriots use franchise tag on free agent Kyle Dugger? Quarterback responds

1. Dugger’s deal: The remaining player who used to be drafted through the Patriots in the first three rounds and signed a contract extension with the group is 2013 third-round protection Duron Harmon. That reflects the Patriots’ shaky run of early-round drafting.But that possibly will alternate soon, because 2020 second-round options safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Josh Uche, 2020 third-round linebacker Anfernee Jennings and 2021 second-round nose tackle Christian Barmore are all worthwhile candidates for an extension — and the Patriots, according to first-year instruct Jerod Mayo, are organized to “burn some cash.”

Of the group, Dugger is most timely to spotlight with the NFL’s window to assign the franchise tag opening Tuesday.

Giving Dugger the tag, which is estimated to be around $16 million for safeties, could doubtlessly buy the aspects extra time to work on an extension while also helping the Patriots hold negotiating leverage with one of their pinnacle unrestricted free agents.

This will be one of the first urgent choices for director of scouting Eliot Wolf, who is taking on greater duty in the team’s revamped the front workplace setup, following the departure of Bill Belichick after 24 seasons”It will be interesting because traditionally the group has favored to keep away from the use of the franchise tag in hopes of continuing to make the normal roster better. So now we will see what they do in the new era in New England,” stated NBC “Football Night In America” analyst Devin McCourty, the former Patriots safety.

Wolf got here up thru the Packers’ organization, which in latest years has seldom assigned the franchise tag. But Wolf’s father, former Packers widespread supervisor Ron Wolf, did make use of it in back-to-back years with strolling again Dorsey Levens (1998) and receiver Antonio Freeman (1999).

As for Dugger, he played 97% of the defensive snaps closing season and totaled 107 tackles (a team-high 70 solo). He is ranked twenty fifth among 2024 free agents by ESPN’s Matt Bowen and the 2nd safety in the back of Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr. (10th overall). Last year’s pinnacle free agent safety, Jessie Bates II, signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

“I consider a teach told me that the purpose for any wonderful participant is to be steady and then have these other plays you make that now not many people can make,” stated McCourty, who sees similarities between Dugger and former Patriots protection Patrick Chung. “I would put Dugger up there with some of the pinnacle gamers when it comes to making plays that you say, ‘How the hell did he just do that?’ I assume that is what is exceptional about his gameThe Patriots are expected to announce their teaching body of workers early this week and one of the headline subject matters is expected to be volume. Belichick historically had one of the NFL’s smallest coaching staffs, partly due to the fact he desired to make certain there had been no combined messages. In contrast, Mayo is predicted to have a substantially larger staff, which is fairly tied to the wish to integrate thoughts and views from those who have coached some other place — and is also perhaps a nod to how rare Belichick used to be in phrases of having the knack to handle so many duties himself.