Steelers bolster their secondary with acquisition of Dugger
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have acquired safety Kyle Dugger from New England in hopes of giving the back end of the secondary another experienced option with starter DeShon Elliott out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Pittsburgh sent a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft to New England in exchange for Dugger and a seventh-round selection.
Dugger, a second-round choice by the Patriots in 2020, had 17 tackles in seven games with New England this season. The six-year veteran has nine career interceptions, including a pair of Pick-6s in 2022.
Elliott injured his right knee in the second half of Pittsburgh's 35-25 loss to Green Bay on Sunday night. Dugger joins a safety group that includes Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers.
Pittsburgh's secondary is struggling. The Steelers are dead last in the NFL against the pass and have surrendered over 700 yards in their last two games to Cincinnati's Joe Flacco and Green Bay's Jordan Love.
Things won't get any easier for Pittsburgh this weekend when AFC South-leading Indianapolis (7-1) and the NFL's top offense visit Acrisure Stadium.
Staying put
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have signed star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a contract extension through the 2030 season.
Hutchinson was the No. 2 overall pick out of Michigan in 2022. He has 34.5 sacks in 46 career games. He also has 78 quarterback hits, 36 tackles for loss, 11 pass defenses, eight forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and four interceptions.
Hutchinson made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and had 7.5 sacks in five games last year before he broke his leg. He has six sacks in seven games this season for the Lions.
Liking the Ravens
Lamar Jackson is expected to return for the Ravens (-7.5) after missing three games with a hamstring injury. They need to start a winning streak.
Tua Tagovailoa is coming off his best game of the season in Miami's lopsided win at Atlanta.
John Harbaugh's teams are 10-1 straight up on Thursday nights as a favorite. Mike McDaniel's teams are 0-4 straight up and 1-3 against the spread on Thursday nights. Which means … AP pro pick: Ravens, 30-20
Injured again
ASHBURN, Va. -- Terry McLaurin has re-injured his quadriceps muscle and will sit out the Washington Commanders' game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
It will be the fifth time in the past six weeks that McLaurin has been sidelined. Commanders coach Dan Quinn delivered the news before practice on Wednesday. Washington is 3-5 and has lost three consecutive games heading into its prime-time matchup against Seattle.
McLaurin initially hurt his leg on a 56-yard catch against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, then missed each of the next four games. He finally returned to action Monday night in a 28-7 loss against the Chiefs.