The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Heinz Field, and that game might now include a former first-round player playing against his former team.
The Titans announced on Wednesday that they have now tabbed outside linebacker Bud Dupree as a Designated for Return player from the team’s Reserve/Injured list. This now means that Dupree can resume practice with the team and that his 21-day window has been opened. To play on Sunday against the Steelers, however, Dupree would need to be activated to the Titans’ 53-man roster by Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Dupree, who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Titans during the offseason after spending his first six seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, suffered an abdominal injury in the November 14 game versus the New Orleans Saints, and he’s missed the last three games. Dupree spent this past offseason rehabbing a serious knee injury that he suffered last December as a member of the Steelers.
On Wednesday during his press conference, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made it known that he’ll monitor Dupree’s progress during the week before making a decision on the outside linebacker’s availability for Sunday against the Steelers.
So far this season, Dupree, who was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Steelers, has recorded one sack, one forced fumble, six quarterback hits, and seven total tackles in the seven games he’s appeared in. He has played all of just 260 total defensive snaps this season with the Titans.
Dupree signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans on March 18, 2021, and $35 million of the deal was guaranteed, with $33.75 million being fully guaranteed at signing.
