That was the case on Sunday for Kyle Dugger.

During the 2024 offseason, Dugger signed a 4-year, $58 million contract with the Patriots. That included $32.5 million in guaranteed money. This season, Dugger has the second-highest cap hit on the Patriots at $15.264 million.

That’s why it was surprising to see him with the second-team defense in Sunday’s practice. Dugger played next to safety Marcus Epps while the top unit featured safeties Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, and the rookie, Woodson.

At this point, Peppers looks like the Patriots starting strong safety, and Hawkins appears to be the team’s starting free safety.

Woodson, drafted in the fourth round, almost had the defensive play of the day with a near interception. The rookie has impressed his teammates.

“Craig, he’s a baller,” Patriots cornerback Alex Austin said. “Instinctive. Smart football player. He’s been picking up the scheme. He’s out there playing ball and having fun. Looking forward to him making some plays for us this year.”

Woodson said Dugger and the other veterans have been helpful to him.

“It’s been good,” Woodson said. “Those guys have been in the league for a long time, so just learning from them, asking them questions, being able to hear how they think and process the game. It helps me as a young guy.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this story unfolds this summer.

Due to Dugger’s contract, it doesn’t make sense for the Patriots to cut the veteran. If they did, they would be stuck with $14.25 million dead money. However, if the Patriots were to trade Dugger, they’d save $10.764 million while incurring $4.5 million in dead money.

Keeping Dugger also makes sense. The Patriots have solid depth at the safety position. If they were to move on from the veteran, it could mean keeping someone like Epps or Dell Pettus on the safety depth chart.