Patriots S Kyle Dugger tests positive for COVID-19, could miss Monday’s game at Buffalo

FOXBORO — Patriots safety Kyle Dugger tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, missed practice and might now miss Monday night’s game at Buffalo.

If Dugger is unvaccinated, he will miss a minimum of 10 days. If he is vaccinated and asymptomatic, he can return as soon as he produces two negative tests 24 hours apart. Should symptoms surface, Dugger can rejoin the team once he is asymptomatic for 48 hours and produces two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart.

He landed on COVID-19 reserve a day after the Pats lost running back J.J. Taylor to a positive test.

The Patriots’ top draft pick in 2020, Dugger leads the defense with 80 tackles and ranks third in interceptions with three. Without him, the Pats’ safety depth would be down to Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Myles Bryant and special-teamer Cody Davis. Dugger has played in every game this season and started 10.

Two weeks ago, Patriots coach Bill Belichick detailed how Dugger’s made such a leap after a solid, but unspectacular, rookie season.

“I’d put everything down there,” Belichick said. “He’s a good athlete, he’s a smart kid, he learns a lot. He’s playing with some experienced players, especially with Devin [McCourty] and [Adrian] Phillips, but other guys in the secondary, other guys at linebacker, too. … I’m sure he’s learned a lot about everything; keys, matchups, run force, pass coverage, blitzing. He soaks it all in.”

Dugger was one of three players absent Wednesday, along with practice-squad defensive back BoPete Keyes and offensive lineman Alex Redmond. Keyes was released a day after signing off the street.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3lriHxj