The Patriots’ 2024 season was not expected to be as disappointing as it was, even if much of the offseason didn’t provide much hope that it would be anything better. The belief was that the defense would continue to be the better side of the team and keep them in games, and in some cases, that was what happened.
However, the group fell apart as the weeks went on, and some players’ performances were particularly shocking, with safety Kyle Dugger being near the top of the list.
Since being drafted in 2020, he has become a significant part of the Patriots’ secondary, even earning Captain status in place of injured players last year, which earned him a contract extension during the offseason. So expectations were high for his production not only to continue to be impressive but to build upon that in 2024.
That didn’t immediately happen and only worsened after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 against the 49ers. Dugger’s performance declined as the seasoned progressed, and we now know what led to that: a misdiagnosed injury.
Kyle Dugger was dealing with a far worse injury during the 2024 season than anyone knew
While speaking to the Boston Herald last week, Dugger explained what really derailed his 2024 season, and it was far more than what he believed and was told was just a mild ankle sprain.
He revealed to Andrew Callahan that the injury had gotten worse as the weeks went on, and by Christmas, he was told he needed surgery to repair the damage, still believing it was an ankle sprain. He didn’t get that surgery until earlier this month, undergoing “tightrope surgery to re-stabilize an injured right ankle.”
Even knowing now how severe the injury was, Dugger still feels like he let the Patriots down and maybe should have taken more time off to heal rather than play through it.
“I felt like I let the team down. And it was challenging because mentally, I couldn’t check out and recover. Guys were still looking to me, and I still needed to watch film and help guys see things and make plays, things that I felt like a good captain, a good leader, would do. And I was struggling because I was dealing with my own frustrations about not being able to play and not understanding why.
Being told, basically, a sprain was keeping me back. And I’m just like, this doesn’t make sense.”
At the same time, however, he’s not using the injury as an excuse for his down year. He emphasized his responsibility in choosing to play through the injury and not performing up to par, which is more than admirable to hear from an integral part of the Patriots’ defense given the odds stacked against him because of it.
“I have to answer to my play not being up to par and not up to what I know it can be like. I have to answer to it, and I have to be accountable. Initially, it’d be easy to use (the injury) as an excuse, you know? But the reality is I’m deciding to be out there. That’s what comes with the business, and it’s the decision I decided to make.
So it was challenging at times, for sure, but once I made up my mind that that’s what I was going to do, I had to stand on it.”
Although it’s not ideal to hear that the Patriots have another injury they’ll have to monitor this offseason, especially on defense, hearing that Dugger’s performance was far more negatively impacted because he was dealing with a severe injury is also refreshing.
Concerns grew about his contract extension and whether it was a mistake given how poorly he was playing, but playing through an injury would do that to anyone.
It would be unfair to come to any conclusion about a player dealing with those circumstances, so waiting to see how Dugger can play with a rehabilitated ankle will be far more telling than this last season, even more so with new coaches on the sideline and the return of Ja’Whaun Bentley to the lineup.
