Hold onto your butts, people.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported the Pittsburgh Steelers have placed OLB Bud Dupree on injured reserve.
Dupree has been hit with a nagging groin injury throughout training camp, limiting him to just one full padded practice. Despite his attempts, he’s been unable to fully work his way back.
Pittsburgh placing him on IR does not guarantee his season is over. He could still return in six weeks, minimum, as the team’s designated player. The NFL scrapped the old rule of having to designate the player beforehand, as the Steelers went through with Maurkice Pouncey last season.
(EDIT: Dupree is eligible to return to practice after six weeks but unable to play until after eight. The Steelers have a Week 8 bye.)
This would, of course, mean Senquez Golson is likely to be carried as a weekly inactive, or else the team would have to choose between the two.
Dupree was expected to have a breakout season after finishing his rookie year with four sacks. The Steelers’ outside linebackers had just 15 total sacks between them in 2015, despite finishing third in the league as a defense with 48.
Arthur Moats will replace him at LOLB. Anthony Chickillo figures to see a more prominent role in the defense, though he’s also dealing with a foot injury.
Ian Rapoport tweets Dupree has undergone surgery to fix a core muscle tear.
In a corresponding move, the Steelers have re-signed inside linebacker Steven Johnson. They are back at their 53 man roster limit.
