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Ex-Steelers safety Kyle Dugger signing with Bengals, agent says

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  • baby ben

    ben babyApril 2, 2026, 12:43 pm ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Before ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL Show and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

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CINCINNATI — The Bengals added some depth to their sophomore Thursday.

Free agent safety Kyle Dugger is signing a one-year contract with the Bengals, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.

Dugger joins a group that includes new signees Brian Cook and Jordan Battle as the team’s primary safety.

Cook was one of Cincinnati’s bigger signings in free agency. He signed a three-year contract worth $40.25 million. Battle, who is entering his fourth year in the league, is considered one of the team’s rising defenders entering 2026.

The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Dugger from the New England Patriots at last season’s trade deadline, giving up a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2020 second-rounder as well as a 2026 seventh-round pick.

The Steelers made the move when starting strong safety DeShawn Elliott went on season-ending injured reserve. Dugger made an immediate impact, playing nearly 100% of the defensive snaps in his first game in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts. Dugger then threw a sack in his third start and had another interception in a loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.

Although he played almost every defensive snap in his first eight games with the Steelers, he accounted for only half the defensive snaps in the Week 18 finale and playoff game as the Steelers split Dugger’s reps with fellow veteran Chuck Clark.

Dugger, 30, recorded 59 tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and two interceptions last season with the Steelers and Patriots.

Since being selected by the Patriots in the NFL Draft out of Lenoir-Rhyne University, Dugger has recorded a total of 11 interceptions, including three pick-sixes, in six seasons. He also forced three fumbles and had one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Dugger wasn’t the only player the Bengals added to the secondary on Thursday. The team announced that Cincinnati also signed free agent cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor.

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.



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