New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger as being two of the best safeties in the NFL. Peppers, who had a big hand in Thursday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, agreed with that statement.
But he had even bigger praise for his teammate, Dugger, who combined for seven tackles against the Steelers. He called Dugger the “best in the league” at the safety position.
“I definitely agree with that,” said Peppers, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “We’ve got to play much better to improve this (3-10) record, but if you check the tape out — especially with Dugger. I think he’s the best in the league. So it’s definitely been fun playing with him.
“…One of the main reasons I came [here] was to play with him. … I think we’ve got a hell of a safety room.”
Together, Peppers and Dugger did their parts in securing New England’s third victory of the season. They came into Thursday night’s game with snap rates of near 100 percent. So they are two players for the Patriots defense that rarely leave the field.
The safety position has been one of the more stable position groups over the past couple seasons. Even after losing legendary defensive back Devin McCourty, Peppers and Dugger have been able to hold things down for New England in the backfield.
Dugger is one of the Patriots’ most notable talents playing on an expiring deal. With the season winding down and his future up in the air, the questions are starting to swirl regarding a potential contract extension. It would have to seem like a no-brainer at this point given how well things are going on the field.
But as we all know, nothing is ever certain with the business of player contracts.
