Over the next few weeks Steelers Sanctuary will be giving out several potential Steelers free agent targets. We will determine these players by need, cost, and fit for the team. In our first installment we have former Patriots safety Kyle Dugger.
The Skills:
Kyle Dugger was a second round pick of the New England Patriots in 2020 out of the small school Lenoir-Ryhne. He is a plus athlete who tested off the charts at the combine as you can see here on his spider chart from mockdraftable: https://www.mockdraftable.com/
Dugger is a sort of linebacker/safety hybrid who excels in the box. His overall coverage skills are a bit lacking, but not to the point of being unplayable. He has a 79.6 run defense grade per PFF, with only 50 for pass defense. Dugger does however have 9 interceptions, and 20 passes defended in the last three seasons in New England. All that, while averaging 93 tackles per season makes for a very attractive strong safety candidate in Pittsburgh.
He would be the perfect fit along side Minkah Fitzpatrick in the Steelers secondary. This would allow Fitzpatrick to go back to where he is at his best, at the back end of the defense creating turnovers. Think of this as a Terrell Edmunds type, only with the ability to actually make splash plays.
The Money:
How much Kyle Dugger will cost in free agency is a bit of a conundrum. Pff and Spotrac estimate him at roughly $16 million per season. That seems extremely high to us considering Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is widely considered the best safety in the entire league, makes roughly $18 million per. We can see this coming in between the $10-$14 million per, with a low first year cap hit if he were to sign with the Steelers.
The Conclusion:
It is debatable this franchise will spend real money on a safety given their current cap situation. If the Steelers want to beef up the defensive side of the ball however, signing a top notch strong safety must be high on the list. Moving Minkah Fitzpatrick back to his robber role in the secondary should be priority one on defense. When it comes to potential Steelers free agent targets, Kyle Dugger fits this role perfectly.