Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Different role for Dugger: How much second-round draft pick Kyle Dugger contributes at safety will hinge on how quickly he grasps the team's system in a condensed season that is already working against rookies. But one decisive takeaway from the first week of practice is that Dugger is already being eyed as possibly the top punt and kickoff returner.

"You search far and wide to try to find these guys," first-year returners coach Troy Brown said. "It's not an easy job finding them, and it's not an easy job once you do find them to get those guys to do [things] correctly all the time."

Brown has been entrusted with bringing Dugger -- the 37th overall pick from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne -- along as Julian Edelman's possible replacement. Edelman is excellent as a punt returner, but at age 34 and as such a vital part of the offense, limiting his wear and tear might be wise.

Dugger's development couldn't be in better hands. No player has returned more punts for the Patriots (252) or accumulated more return yardage (2,625) than Brown, and his 55-yard punt return for a touchdown in an upset victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship Game is one of the legendary plays in franchise history.

"It's somewhere where my heart is. Punt returns is something I took very seriously when I played the game. And that part of the game is something that has been a staple of Bill Belichick from the time he started coaching," Brown said.

"He's in on my meetings, so I have to be on point, and be able to teach it well to the players. It's a big deal to him, and it's a big deal to me because I know what it can do to help change the game, and help spark and create some excitement for your football team when you need it."

Brown said "everybody is alive" as a candidate for the top punt-return spot. In the perfect Patriots world, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Dugger -- who ran a 4.45 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine -- seizes it.

Dugger joined returner/wide receiver Gunner Olszewski and undrafted free agents J.J. Taylor (Arizona) and Isaiah Zuber (Mississippi State) as those returning punts in practices last week, according to Paul Perillo of Patriots.com. Dugger also worked as a kickoff returner, alongside veteran free-agent signee Damiere Byrd, Taylor and Zuber.

At Lenoir-Rhyne, in Hickory, North Carolina, Dugger returned 67 punts for a school-record 929 yards and six touchdowns. That was naturally a factor in the Patriots' targeting the Decatur, Georgia, native with their top pick in 2020, as players with four-down value generally rate higher in the team's system.

As for what makes it a tough job, few know better than Brown.

"We play in New England. We play in Buffalo. We play New York. A lot of our games are in the Northeast," he said of the likelihood of playing in poor weather conditions. "So a lot of times you just have to have the nerve to get back there and do it."

2. Patriots-Dolphins contrast: The Patriots are one of five teams to not place a player on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which means they haven't had a positive test, or a player who has been exposed to someone who tested positive. Their season-opening opponent, the Miami Dolphins, placed an NFL-high 15 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list (only two are currently on it). Things can always change quickly, and the Patriots did have an NFL-high eight players opt out of the 2020 season, but the contrast is notable.

3. Cam and the four QBs: With media members being admitted to practice for the first time Monday, get ready for extensive reports on how things are split up between quarterbacks Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and undrafted Brian Lewerke. It wouldn't be surprising if the repetitions unfold based on experience in the system, with Hoyer (six years) leading things off, followed by Stidham (second year), Newton and Lewerke. That's been an early theme from Belichick in camp: Whenever he's asked specifically about Newton -- who is a huge story, especially considering the Tom Brady void the team is looking to fill -- he generally deflects to talk about the entire group. Even on the first day Newton was available to speak with reporters a few weeks ago, the Patriots set it up so his interview was sandwiched between Hoyer and Stidham.

4. Orange is the new red: After 20 seasons of watching Brady practice in his red jersey, which indicates to teammates that they can't make contact with him, it has been an adjustment to see him in Buccaneers orange. One other thing that stands out: The Buccaneers put the last names of players on their practice jerseys, whereas the Patriots forgo names (and permanent numbers for rookies) altogether.

How concerned is Bruce Arians that Tom Brady is just now getting to go up against his own defense? I discussed on @SportsCenter... pic.twitter.com/GXM8VcOTy3

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) August 13, 2020

5. Steve Belichick on Patricia/Flores path: It was a small nugget, but it caught my attention. When Steve Belichick was noting his move from safeties coach to outside linebackers coach, he talked about being excited to see the game from a different level, before adding, "It's not that I'm not coaching [safeties] any more, but not spending as much time with them." The Patriots don't have an official defensive coordinator, but Belichick -- who was praised by outside linebacker John Simon for his overall knowledge of the entire defense -- seems to be following a similar path as when Matt Patricia and Brian Flores were being groomed to take over the defense. Both started as general assistants and worked at safety and linebacker before officially becoming coordinator.

6. Spurs, Penguins and Patriots: When the San Antonio Spurs didn't qualify for the NBA playoffs last week, it ended a streak of 22 straight berths, which was the longest in the four major professional sports. Next up: The NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins (14) and the NFL's Patriots (11).

7. Expectations for Miller: The Patriots' signing of free-agent running back Lamar Miller, which provides insurance if Sony Michel (foot) isn't ready to come off the physically unable to perform list in time for the regular season, sparks a question: What are realistic expectations for him if he makes the team? From 2014 to '18, Miller rushed for 4,905 yards, the second most in the NFL behind LeSean McCoy (5,133). But now Miller, 29, is coming off a torn ACL, and recent history says expectations should be tempered. The best-case scenario would be to duplicate what Minnesota's Dalvin Cook did in his comeback 2018 season -- 11 games, 920 scrimmage yards. Cook, 25, doubled that output last season, which is a reminder that it often takes multiple years before running backs return to their prior form after tearing their ACL.

8. Eluemunor at right tackle: When Patriots starting right tackle Marcus Cannon opted out of the 2020 season, the most commonly mentioned candidates to fill the void were 2019 third-round pick Yodny Cajuste (the odds-on favorite) and third-year veteran Korey Cunningham, who the team acquired in a trade from Arizona last September. But Jermaine Eluemunor is also part of that mix, even though he primarily was viewed as a guard in New England after the team acquired him (and a sixth-round pick) from Baltimore for a fourth-round pick last September. Eluemunor did play right tackle at Texas A&M, where his strength is reflected in his 34 bench-press repetitions at the 2017 combine, and perhaps a return to his college position helps him break through.

9. Coaches' personalities shine: One result of all media interviews being held via videoconference is that Patriots assistant coaches seemed as comfortable as ever, which allowed their personalities to shine. Inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, for example, ribbed one reporter for having a packaged football as part of his backdrop, and then implored another to turn his camera on because he wanted to see him and assess his haircut. Meanwhile, animated running backs coach Ivan Fears couldn't contain his laughter when Troy Brown, who was sharing the interview time with him, remained muted while attempting to answer a question. Fears playfully chided the Patriots Hall of Famer, saying: "Muted again Troy. This seems like a normal meeting for you! Your thing isn't working very well buddy! Why don't you come into my room? We'll share." There's no roadmap for media coverage during a pandemic, but so far, so good in New England.

10. Did You Know: The longest run by a quarterback in Patriots history is 41 yards, by Steve Grogan, who did it twice -- Oct. 18, 1976, vs. the New York Jets (touchdown) and Oct. 9, 1977, against Seattle. Newton's longest career run is 72 yards (touchdown), which came against Atlanta on Dec. 9, 2012.