Dugger already turning heads with his play

FOXBORO — Jarrett Stidham saw a brief opening and threw the ball deep down the left sideline. His receiver, Damiere Byrd, had a slight step on the defensive back running next to him. As the ball fell from the sky, however, rookie safety Kyle Dugger jumped up and over the veteran receiver and came down with an interception.

Welcome to the NFL, kid.

Dugger, the Patriots first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, is already [...]

FOXBORO — Jarrett Stidham saw a brief opening and threw the ball deep down the left sideline. His receiver, Damiere Byrd, had a slight step on the defensive back running next to him. As the ball fell from the sky, however, rookie safety Kyle Dugger jumped up and over the veteran receiver and came down with an interception.

Welcome to the NFL, kid.

Dugger, the Patriots first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, is already receiving ample playing time in the Patriots secondary. Over the first two days of training camp, Dugger has make his presence felt. After Patrick Chung opted out last month, the rookie from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne has impressed.

"Dugg's been really good," said safety Devin McCourty. "I think any time you can get in there with a guy and just play together and talk to him and learn how we play and play off each other, it's been really good. And he's got a chance to play with all of our safeties so far. So we've just got to keep building that. Second day of pads, we're not in here doing a bunch of scheme stuff. More of that will come day by day. And I think, as a veteran on the team, it's just making sure he can stay ahead and continue to improve in training camp."

Dugger comes to the Patriots with an interesting skill set. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, he has the ability to play either strong or free safety. He also figures to factor into special teams. Last year, he was an All-American safety and return man, averaging 14.6 yards per punt return with two touchdowns. Dugger has been seen working out with the kickoff returners.

It’s always notable when rookies make plays in training camp. The fact that Dugger is already sticking out is a good thing for the Patriots, who not only have to replace Chung but safety Duron Harmon as well.

McCourty said on Tuesday that he’s taken Dugger under his wing and tried to help him with the playbook as well as the transition to the NFL. On Monday, Stephon Gilmore said he’s also tried to be there for the rookie.

Getting his chance

Prior to the first day of training camp, recently retired fullback James Develin sent out a message to his fellow Patriots fullbacks and tight ends. Devin was fired up and wanted his teammates to be fired up for the first practice in full pads.

For fullback Jakob Johnson, it served as a nice motivational boost.

"I mean, it's always good to know, when you have a great in a game like that, and you know that he's watching," Johnson said. "And so we're all in the tight end room. We know the legacy of the room. Great people that played this position here, this team. So we're just trying to uphold the standard."

Last season, Johnson made the Patriots practice squad. After being placed on the team by the NFL's International Player Pathway program, the Pats could have kept him on the roster for free (with an extra roster space) just to give this native of Germany some NFL experience.

Not only did Johnson make the practice squad, but was briefly called up to the 53-man roster when Develin suffered a season-ending neck injury. The feel-good story didn’t last long. Johnson suffered a shoulder injury and also landed on the injured reserve after five games played.

After Develin retired, the Patriots signed veteran fullback Dan Vitale. Vitale opted out last month due to coronavirus concerns and that put Johnson ahead of everyone on the fullback depth chart. Johnson still represents a feel-good story, but knows he has to work in order to adequately replace Develin.

"Well, it's the NFL. You know, things change," Johnson said. "On a personal level, James Develin was a great mentor to me. Always helped me and the other rookies along. A great guy to learn from. Amazing guy off the field and on the field. But besides that, when it comes to roster moves, I've learned that's just the way it goes in the NFL. And you just adapt and you focus on yourself and what you have to do."

Fans barred in September

There will be no fans in the stands when both the Patriots and Revolution take the field at Gillette Stadium in September.

The Patriots on Tuesday announced that after consulting with the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board, Gillette Stadium will not be permitted to host fans at any events through at least the end of next month.

That means the Patriots’ home opener on Sept. 13 (against the Dolphins) and the Sept. 27 game (Raiders), as well as the next three Revolution home matches (Aug. 20, 29 and Sept. 2) will be played without fans.

The news release said stadium officials will continue their preparations to safely host fans later this fall and will rely on guidance from the state Reopening Advisory Board and a team of independent experts.

The Patriots are currently holding training camp at Gillette, without any fans being allowed to attend.

Quarterback check

After focusing on the run in Day 1 of training camp, the Patriots let their quarterbacks air out the ball on Day 2. If anything, the team’s defense showed it was going to make it tough for the quarterbacks on every throw.

After a strong start on Monday, Jarrett Stidham really struggled on Day 2 as he was intercepted three times.

In Stidham’s first 11-on-11 series, he connected with his first three throws, but was intercepted by Michael Jackson on his fourth throw of the day. Jackson jumped in front of Byrd on the play. When the Patriots split into 7-on-7 work, Stidham’s day got harder. After connecting on his first two throws, Brian Hoyer was intercepted by Gilmore, who beat Devin Ross, and then Dugger jumped in front of Byrd on a deep ball.

Stidham settled down after that to finish 6-for-7 in 11-on-11s and 2-for-4 in 7-on-7s.

Although the focus has been on Stidham and Cam Newton, it was Hoyer who shined. The veteran quarterback had the two best throws of the day. The first was a 40-something-yard touchdown throw to Gunner Olszewski. Later , he made a beautiful deep throw to Ross, who caught the pass over Jason McCourty.

Hoyer finished 7-for-8 in full-team drills and 2-for-3 in 7-on-7s.

Newton had a solid day. He finished 6-for-9 in 11-on-11s and 3-for-3 in 7-on-7s. The veteran was even better than those numbers indicate because he was plagued by drops from Mohamed Sanu and Olszewski.

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ