Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator singled out multiple new additions to the roster who will help his unit make huge strides in 2026, but his mention of hybrid safety Kyle Dugger really stood out.
Dugger isn't one typically lumped in with the likes of higher-profile acquisitions like All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, two-time Super Bowl champion Bryan Cook, or past first-round pick Jonathan Allen. There's no obvious route for Dugger to start in the Bengals' crowded secondary.
But now that Golden has praised Dugger as one of the better locker room guys along with the more obvious leaders of the defense, there's an underlying implication that Dugger's role could be bigger than anticipated.
Kyle Dugger shakes up Bengals' defensive backfield lineup
In an interview with Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard, Al Golden spoke to the high football and personal character of several Cincinnati newcomers. He included Kyle Dugger prominently in that bunch:
"It makes it fun to go to work every day. It starts with the human beings that we have in the building. I'm talking about the entire building now [...] I said it before...you're watching the film, and you know what you're getting in terms of a football player. But man, you know, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, Dugger, uh, Dex, all these guys that we've brought in, then the guys that we drafted, just really, really good people."
The Bengals got a front-row seat to witnessing Dugger's talents in action last season. As a member of the bitter AFC North enemy Pittsburgh Steelers, Dugger pick-sixed Joe Flacco to catalyze a 34-12 rout at Acrisure Stadium.
That play had to pop out to Golden and his staff. They must've been thrilled to get Dugger on their side when he agreed to sign on in Cincinnati as a free agent.
Nabbing Dugger from a rival didn't feel like some massive win. Cook figures to be a clear starter at safety, and Jordan Battle had a solid 2025 campaign, excelling at deep safety in particular.
Nevertheless, based on Golden singling out Dugger amongst myriad team leaders, Dugger's presence could really shake things. He may eat into Battle's game reps a little. It's more likely, however, that Dugger could relegate incumbent nickelback Jalen Davis to some sort of a timeshare role.
Even disregarding the Bengals' signing of another nickel defender in Ja'Sir Taylor, check out the number of snaps Dugger and Cook took from the slot in 2025, per PFF:
- Kyle Dugger 2025 snap splits: 397 at deep safety, 260 in the box, 66 in the slot
- Bryan Cook 2025 snap splits: 478 at deep safety, 258 in the box, 102 in the slot
So yes, they played their only in certain situations, yet it wouldn't surpise me to see Golden go with a little more bulk on the back end. Dugger's superior size to Davis could get him a majority of the reps at nickel. Otherwise, Golden could get creative and deploy more dime packages, with Dugger as a big nickel/de facto extra linebacker.
As of his last public comments, Dax Hill said he hadn't been told whether he'd stick to playing boundary cornerback opposite DJ Turner, or if he'd flex back to the slot.
Between the lack of clarity on Dax, the versatility of Dugger, and the presence of a lengthy rookie third-round perimeter corner in Tacario Davis, Golden has a lot to sort through in training camp.
Unlike many years past, it feels like Cincinnati actually has a surplus of quality players and depth on the back end of the defense. If that proves to be true, and the Lawrence-led defensive line has something of a leap forward, all of a sudden the Bengals' maligned defense could start looking mighty formidable here soon.
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