Patriots Will Have To Clear Some Cap Space To Sign Kyle Dugger
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots reportedly agreed to a deal with third-round pick Dalton Keene on Monday, leaving just one 2020 draft pick left unsigned: New England's top pick, Kyle Dugger.
But in order to sign the second-round selection, the Patriots are going to have to make another move to fit the safety/return man under the salary cap.
As explained by Patriots salary cap guru Miguel Benzan -- better known as @patscap on Twitter -- the Patriots need to create roughly $300,000 in cap space to sign their top pick:
The Patriots can't sign Kyle Dugger without first creating cap space. They need just under $300K.
— Miguel Benzan Patriots Cap Space equals 765,014 (@patscap) May 11, 2020
The sole unsigned Patriots draft pick is Kyle Dugger whose 2020 cap number will be $1,514,891.
— Miguel Benzan Patriots Cap Space equals 765,014 (@patscap) May 11, 2020
Salary=$610K
signing bonus proration = $904,891
Since his signing bonus proration is more than the Patriots cap space number of $640,545 we know the Patriots will have to create space
Teams usually don't have all their picks signed until the middle of June, so the Patriots don't have to rush to sign Dugger at the moment. And Bill Belichck and company will have a few options to clear the needed cap space, whether it's releasing a player, signing someone to an extension, or restructuring a contract.
The Patriots could sign offensive tackle Joe Thuney, whom the Patriots hit with the franchise tag this offseason, to an extension to free up cap space.