Patriots deal Keion White to 49ers, Kyle Dugger to Steelers - ESPN

The New England Patriots traded away two former defensive starters Tuesday night, sending defensive end Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers and safety Kyle Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers, sources told ESPN.

The trades occurred within minutes of each other, with the Pats sending White and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Niners in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, and sending Dugger and a seventh-round pick to the Steelers for a sixth-round pick, sources said.

White and Dugger were starters under the former Patriots regimes led by Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo but had been backups under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel.

White was a 2023 second-round draft pick under Belichick who totaled five sacks in his second season. His addition comes at a critical time for the Niners, who have seen their group of defensive ends dwindle by the week because of injuries. The biggest loss came in Week 3 when star end Nick Bosa was lost for the season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.

The Niners left Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans with ends Bryce Huff (hamstring), Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) and Sam Okuayinonu (ankle) dealing with injuries that either prevented them from playing in that game or were suffered during it.

While Huff and Gross-Matos are expected back soon and Okuayinonu is day-to-day this week, the 49ers clearly needed help at the position following their struggles generating any pass rush against Houston. For the season, the Niners rank last in the NFL in pressure percentage (21.3%) and 25th in pass-rush win rate (33.8%).

In White, the Niners are taking a flier on a once-promising prospect who fell out of favor in New England as his fit in new coach Mike Vrabel's scheme wasn't as clear. He was a