-
Nick Wagoner
The New England Patriots traded two former defensive starters on Tuesday night, moving defensive end Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers and safety Kyle Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to sources at ESPN.
The Pats secured a 2026 sixth-round draft pick from the Niners in return for White, alongside a 2026 seventh-round selection. They also received a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Steelers, who obtained Dugger and a 2026 seventh-round pick, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Both White and Dugger were starters under previous Patriots leadership from Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo but had taken on backup roles under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel.
White, a 2023 second-round draft choice under Belichick, recorded five sacks in his second season. His acquisition is timely for the Niners, who have experienced a depletion of their defensive end roster due to injuries. The most significant blow occurred in Week 3 when star end Nick Bosa was sidelined for the entire season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.
Following Sunday’s defeat against the Houston Texans, the Niners were left with ends Bryce Huff (hamstring), Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring), and Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) dealing with injuries that either kept them from participating in that game or were incurred during it.
White participated in just 26% of defensive snaps this season, making six tackles and applying pressure once.
Originally selected as a second-round pick by New England in the 2023 NFL draft—the last draft completed with Bill Belichick at the helm—White featured in 16 games as a rookie, making four starts, totaling 26 tackles, one sack, five quarterback hits, and three pass breakups.
When Jerod Mayo, a former assistant under Belichick, took the reins as head coach in 2024, White’s role expanded, leading to appearances in all games (13 starts) and racking up 56 tackles, five sacks, 16 quarterback hits, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
White still has one year left on his rookie contract with a base salary of $1.812 million for 2026. Due to the injuries throughout the roster, the Niners may not be finished making trades as they look for additional assistance for the defensive line while awaiting the returns of Huff, Gross-Matos, and Okuayinonu.
Dugger, a second-round pick in 2020, signed a four-year, $58 million contract as a free agent last year after initially being given the transition tag by the team. He has started 69 games, including four this season, and has compiled a total of nine interceptions.
The Steelers brought Dugger on board largely because starting strong safety DeShon Elliott hyperextended his knee in the loss to the Packers on Sunday night. Elliott provided valuable communication in the secondary and was a formidable presence against the run.
«He plays a vital role in our operation, especially concerning certain strengths that Indy possesses,» remarked Tomlin on Tuesday regarding Elliott. «He is a key player in our secondary regarding run defense, for instance. He often covers tight ends in passing situations, and while we have adjustments to make concerning how we allocate responsibilities this week, it’s always necessary when losing a key player; it’s not solely the job of one individual but requires a coordinated effort.»
In Elliott’s absence, the Steelers faced challenges slowing down tight end Tucker Kraft by utilizing safety Chuck Clark, and they are poised for another tough matchup in Week 9 against the Colts and rookie Tyler Warren.
Elliott had previously missed time due to a different knee issue this season, prompting the Steelers to help fill the gap by signing former Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.
