The New England Patriots made a pair of deals a week before the NFL trade deadline, shipping out defenders Keion White and Kyle Dugger.
According to head coach Mike Vrabel, making both trades Tuesday night came down to timing.
“I think that with just the timing of everything and where we’re at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We’ve got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with [Keion] and Kyle,” Vrabel said Wednesday.
“Really going to make our focus here against the Falcons, a team that we don’t know much about, haven’t played in four or five years. So, we wish Keion the best, wish Kyle the best, appreciate their professionalism and added some other guys here to the roster, too.”
New England traded Dugger and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. In a similar pick swap, White and a 2026 seventh-round pick were traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Both players saw their playing time decrease in a new defensive system, with White even being a healthy inactive last week vs. the Browns. New England will now look elsewhere for depth at both spots.
At safety, that includes Dell Pettus and newly signed John Saunders Jr., while Richie Grant, who was elevated last Sunday, resides on the practice squad. The Patriots current edge depth features Anfernee Jennings, Elijah Ponder, and recent addition Caleb Murphy.
“We ask everybody to prepare as a starter, whether they’re on the practice squad or they’re on the active roster,” Vrabel said. “I know that those guys have been doing that, and we’ll need everybody through this course of the season. So, that’s important at every position.”
New England could now look to acquire additional depth at each position and others before the deadline, as they currently hold 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft with four now coming in the sixth-round.
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