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Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Kyle Dugger has earned an honor as an under-the-radar free agent after leaving the Steelers.
This offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals have been focused on improving their defense. Outwardly, the focus has largely been on the defensive line and Dexter Lawrence, but one free agent signing that’s largely been forgotten is safety Kyle Dugger.
In the wake of that signing, insider Jordan Schultz shared his top under-the-radar free agent signings. There, Dugger made an appearance on his list.
Notably, Dugger is the only AFC North player to make the list, an honor that has Bengals fans excited. On top of that, Dugger is coming over to Cincinnati from the Pittsburgh Steelers, a division rival.
It’s a short-term deal for Dugger and the Bengals. In early April, he signed on for one-year, $1.4 million. Of course, if things do work out for the two sides, then there is plenty of reason to believe that Dugger and the Bengals will reunite again on a contract extension.
Kyle Dugger Brings a Veteran Presence to the Cincinnati Bengals
A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kyle Dugger was initially selected by the New England Patriots. That came after he played his college football at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.
From 2021 to 2024, Dugger had his most productive seasons. All of those, incidentally, came with the Patriots. That included a 4-interception season in 2021, a 2 pick-six season in 2022, and a 109-tackle season in 2023.
In October of 2025, the Patriots decided to move on from Dugger, sending him in a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’d go on to play in nine games for the Steelers, adding 2 interceptions and 43 tackles in that time. Still, after the season, the Steelers would let him walk in free agency.
Now, Dugger finds himself in Cincinnati. There, he should still provide solid production for the Bengals in the secondary while, at the same time, providing leadership to the young players along the Cincinnati defense.
Bengals Draft Pick Tacario Davis Offers Exciting Potential in the Secondary
In the third round of the NFL Draft, the Bengals snagged Tacario Davis, who spent the 2025 season with the Washington Huskies. It was an interesting pick at the time, but one where there is some clear potential moving forward at a position of need.
Prior to his time at Washington, Davis played for head coach Jedd Fisch at Arizona. However, he would eventually transfer prior to the 2025 season. He was a year behind his head coach, Fisch, in making that move from Arizona to Washington.
While some analysts have shared concern about the pick, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. was a fan of it. He explained why shortly after the draft.
“Mansoor Delane was a popular match for Cincinnati at No. 10 before the Lawrence trade, and while Tacario Davis in the third round isn’t that level of premier cover CB1, he should be a solid option opposite DJ Turner II,” Kiper wrote.
Thanks to the signing of Kyle Dugger, there will be at least one veteran behind Tacario Davis in the Bengals’ secondary that he can trust and learn from. That could make the signing even more valuable than previously thought.
Dan Morrison After graduating from UMass in 2019, Dan Morrison quickly began a career in sports journalism and digital media. That has seen him work both as a contributing writer at several publications, as well as spending time on the National News Desk at On3. During that time, he has spent the majority of his time covering football, both at the college and NFL levels. Currently residing in Central Florida, his focus with Heavy is on the NFL. More about Dan Morrison