Dugger signed with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, adding a veteran presence to the safeties room ... Has six seasons of NFL experience, appearing in 90 regular-season games with 78 starts ... Spent first five-plus seasons with New England, then traded to Pittsburgh in October 2025 ... Career totals include 454 tackles (300 solos), 27 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 29 PDs, 11 INTs, three FFs and two FRs ... Also has 29 career tackles on special teams ... Became starter in second pro season (2021), and that year tied for second on Patriots with career-high four INTs ... Has four career defensive TDs, including three in 2022 alone (two pick-sixes and one FR return) ... Most recent pick-six was vs. Bengals while playing for Steelers (Week 11 of 2025) ... Originally a second-round pick of Patriots in 2020, he is highest drafted player to come out of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. (NCAA Division II).
Career transactions: Selected by New England in second round of NFL Draft (37th overall) on 4-24-20 ... Signed with Patriots on 5-20-20 ... Named by Patriots as designated transition player on 3-5-24 ... Patriots contract expired on 3-13-24 (remained under tender) ... Re-signed with Patriots as designated transition player on 4-9-24 ... Signed renegotiated contract with Patriots on 10-29-25 ... Acquired by Pittsburgh in trade with Patriots on 10-30-25 ... Steelers contract expired on 3-11-26; became unrestricted free agent ... Signed with Cincinnati as unrestricted free agent on 4-2-26.
2020—Played in 14 games with seven starts at DB as a rookie for New England ... Inactive for two games (Games 6 and 7) due to ankle injury ... Totaled 59 tackles (40 solos), with one TFL ... Added five special teams tackles ... Made NFL debut on Sept. 13 vs. Miami (no stats) ... Logged five defensive tackles and one special teams stop on Sept. 20 at Seattle ... Tallied season-high 12 tackles (seven solos) on Nov. 15 vs. Baltimore ... Had first career TFL on Nov. 22 at Houston, tackling RB David Johnson for two-yard loss in first quarter.
2021—Played in 15 regular-season games with 13 starts (eight at DB, five at S) for New England ... Spent one game (Game 13) on Reserve/COVID-19 list, and inactive for one game (Game 17) due to hand injury ... Recorded 84 tackles (63 solos), five TFLs, five PDs, four INTs and one FR ... His four picks tied for second on the team ... Added eight special teams tackles ... Had a TFL in each of first four games of season ... Notched first career INT on Oct. 17 vs. Dallas, picking off QB Dak Prescott in second quarter and returning it 29 yards ... Grabbed second INT the following week on Oct. 24 vs. N.Y. Jets, intercepting pass by QB Mike White in third quarter and returning it 14 yards ... On Nov. 14 vs. Cleveland, intercepted pass by QB Baker Mayfield early in second quarter, and returned it 37 yards to set up Patriots TD on following snap ... Grabbed fourth INT of year on Jan. 2 vs. Jacksonville, picking off QB Trevor Lawrence in third quarter and returning it 20 yards to set up Patriots TD on very next snap ... Started at S in postseason debut in Wild Card Playoff on Jan. 15 at Buffalo and logged four tackles.
2022—Played and started 15 games at S for New England ... Inactive for two games (Games 3 and 8) ... Totaled 69 tackles (46 solos), with five TFLs and one sack ... Also recorded eight PDs, three INTs (two returned for TD), one FF and one FR (returned for TD) ... Became first Patriots player with three defensive TDs in a season since 1970 ... Added nine ST tackles ... First career TD occurred on Oct. 9 vs. Detroit, when he recovered a fumble at Patriots' 41-yard line and returned it 59 yards to the end zone ... Logged first career sack on Nov. 20 vs. N.Y. Jets, taking down QB Zach Wilson for eight-yard loss in fourth quarter ... Had first career pick-six on Dec. 18 at Las Vegas, when he picked off QB Derek Carr in third quarter and returned it 16 yards to end zone for Patriots' first TD of game ... On Jan. 1 vs. Miami, intercepted pass by QB Teddy Bridgewater in third quarter and returned it 39 yards to end zone for second pick-six of season; also finished Dolphins game with five tackles and two PDs, earning first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
2023—Started all 17 games at S for New England ... Registered career-high 107 tackles (70 solos), six TFLs, 1.5 sacks, seven PDs, two INTs and one FF ... Added two ST tackles ... Had career-high 15 tackles (12 solos) with a TFL on Oct. 1 at Dallas ... On Oct. 29 at Miami, picked off QB Tua Tagovailoa in first quarter and returned it 15 yards to set up Patriots TD drive, then later sacked Tagovailoa for six-yard loss in second quarter ... Had INT for second straight week on Nov. 5 vs. Washington, picking off QB Sam Howell and returning it 20 yards late in second quarter ... Logged 10 tackles on Dec. 31 at Buffalo and forced a fumble in fourth quarter (recovered by Bills).
2024—Played and started 13 games at S for New England ... Inactive for four games ... Totaled 79 tackles (54 solos), eight TFLs, one sack, four PDs and one FF ... Added two ST tackles ... In season opener on Sept. 8 at Cincinnati, knocked ball loose from TE Tanner Hudson at Patriots' one-yard line in second quarter, which negated potential Bengals TD and led to New England recovery ... Logged eight solo tackles, including career-high three TFLs and a sack, on Sept. 15 vs. Seattle ... Tallied season-high 11 tackles and two PDs on Oct. 20 at Jacksonville.
2025—Played in 16 total games ... Saw action in seven games with four starts for New England, then was traded on Oct. 30 to Pittsburgh, where he started nine contests ... Inactive for one game (Game 13) while with Pittsburgh due to hand injury ... Recorded 56 tackles (27 solos), two TFLs, one sack, five PDs and two INTs (one returned for TD) ... Also had three ST tackles ... On Nov. 16 vs. Cincinnati, picked off pass by QB Joe Flacco late in third quarter and returned it 73 yards to end zone for third career pick-six ... Had second INT of season on Dec. 28 at Cleveland, picking off QB Shedeur Sanders in fourth quarter ... Lined up for 32 defensive snaps in Wild Card Playoff on Jan. 12 vs. Houston and had six tackles.
College: Spent six seasons (2014-19) at Lenoir-Rhyne, with redshirt year in '14 and medical redshirt year in '16 ... In 42 career games, totaled 237 tackles (152 solos), 6.5 TFLs, 36 PDs, 10 INTs, six FFs and six FRs ... Also returned 67 punts for school-record 929 yards and six TDs ... Won the Cliff Harris Award, given to the best defensive player in NCAA Division II, as a senior in 2019 ... Named first-team All-South Atlantic Conference as both a DB and return specialist in 2018 ... Had four INTs and two FRs in 2015 freshman season, earning South Atlantic Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year honors.
High school/personal: Hometown is Decatur, Ga. ... Attended Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Ga., where he lettered two years in both football and basketball ... Had 80 tackles, three INTs and five PDs in senior season ... Named first-team all-county in final basketball season ... Became the highest NFL draft pick ever out of Lenoir-Rhyne in 2020 ... Continued working toward his degree early in NFL career and graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne with bachelor's in psychology in 2023 ... Last name pronounced as DUG-er (first syllable pronounced as "Doug").
