Patriots' Updated Depth Chart, Salary Cap After Keion White, Kyle Dugger Trades

The New England Patriots were active on the trade market Tuesday.

First, the Patriots reportedly traded defensive end Keion White and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft choice.

ESPN's Adam Schefter later reported that New England dealt safety Kyle Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers along with a future seventh-round pick, receiving a sixth-round selection in return.

The moves created more financial flexibility for a Patriots squad that already had just under $54.3 million in cap space prior to the trade activity, via Over the Cap.

Here's how New England's defensive depth chart looks after the swaps:

OLB: K'Lavon Chaisson

DT: Christian Barmore, Joshua Farmer

NT: Khyiris Tonga, Eric Gregory

DT: Milton Williams

OLB: Harold Landry III, Anfernee Jennings, Elijah Ponder

LB: Robert Spillane, Marte Mapu

LB: Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens

CB: Carlton Davis III, Alex Austin

SS: Craig Woodson

FS: Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler

CB: Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods

While it may initially seem unusual for a Patriots squad sitting atop the AFC East standings with a 6-2 record to trade away two defensive players for draft capital, both White and Dugger didn't play particularly large roles for the team prior to the swaps.

White started in just one of his five games played this year and was recently a healthy scratch as New England searched for a trade.

As for Dugger, he started in all 45 of his games played from 2022-24 but was on the field for a mere 43.8 percent of the Patriots' defensive snaps across his seven appearances this season (via Pro Football Reference).

New England's defense has exceeded expectations under new head coach Mike Vrabel, ranking No. 4 in the NFL by allowing a mere 18.3 points per game.

With the Patriots attempting to clinch their first playoff berth since 2021, it wouldn't be surprising to see them remain active on the trade market ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.