When Mike Tomlin noted that DeShon Elliott was listed as week-to-week with a hyperextended knee, we weren't surprised to see the Pittsburgh Steelers go out and add a safety. However, much of the fan base had a hard time making sense of trading for Kyle Dugger.
Dugger, a former second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2020, was having a down season in 2025 and saw his role reduced to a part-time rotation at safety. Instead of signing a player on the market—like Justin Simmons, Eddie Jackson, or Vonn Bell—the Steelers traded a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Dugger and a seventh-rounder.
But Dugger's egregious contract made this deal hard to stomach.
Though he' playing like an average NFL safety at best, the veteran safety came with a massive pricetag. Dugger signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the Patriots during the 2024 offseason, per Over the Cap, and it looked like Pittsburgh was going to have to step in and pick up the rest of his deal.
That's when Omar Khan stepped in to save the day.
On Wednesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that New England is paying most of the 5.4 million that's left on Dugger's contract for the 2025 season. Rapoport also mentioned that the final two years of Dugger's contract have been wiped out.
This was a necessary move if the Steelers wanted to execute this trade. Dugger was set to have a cap number of $17 million in 2026 and $18 million in 2027. There's no chance Pittsburgh should have made the trade with these two years attached. Thankfully, those are now void, and Dugger essentially won't cost much more than the late-round pick swap.
The Pittsburgh Steelers still have an age problem in their secondary after the Kyle Dugger trade
While the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to add a stable vet to their secondary, they didn't exactly get younger. Kyle Dugger is 29 years old and is expected to take the place of the 28-year-old DeShon Elliott (who was quickly sent to IR as a corresponding move to the trade).
Dugger joins one of the oldest secondaries in the league that already includes Darius Slay (34), Jalen Ramsey (31), Chuck Clark (30), Jabrill Peppers (30), and Juan Thornhill (30). Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have shown an utter disregard for youth in the secondary since the beginning of the 2025 offseason, and the lack of speed and quickness has shown up on the field often this season.
Without many options to call upon during the middle of the season, taking a swing on Kyle Dugger is at least a respectable gamble. Because the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to wipe out his egregious contract numbers, this is a low-risk trade that offers much-needed aid to a struggling defense.