Earlier this week, we told you about Bud Dupree taking cues from Antonio Brown and James Harrison for his offseason work ethic. The message? Never take a day off, never take the easy route.
Consider it message received.
Dupree is spending another offseason working out with trainer Chuck Smith, regarded as one of the best pass rushing trainers in the business. Smith has been posting clips of Dupree working out on his Instagram and Twitter accounts over the past few days.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSkb4BrD38w/
As you can see in the clips, Smith’s other clients this year include Jordan Jenkins and DJ Reader. Dupree isn’t the first Steeler to learn under Smith. Stephon Tuitt trained with him before the 2015 season. In 2015, Tuitt set a career high 6.5 sacks, second on the team behind Cam Heyward.
Dupree didn’t get to benefit from last year’s training as much as hoped, suffering a hernia injury that required surgery and shelved him for half the season, forcing him to play catch-up when he returned. Still, Dupree managed to finish the regular season with 4.5 sacks and another half-sack in the playoffs.
Because the current CBA restricts coach/player interaction in the offseason, players have turned to trainers like Chuck Smith to continue to hone their craft. And Smith has one of the best reputations out there. Assuming Dupree can stay healthy this time around, the expectations should be high for him in 2017.
