When he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this month, Bud Dupree didn’t even realize the Pittsburgh Steelers would be on the schedule, now slated to be a Week 3 matchup. But he’s excited to return to Pittsburgh to face the team that drafted him in the first round. He knows what it’s like to be a young first-round pick, and this time, he’ll try to be the veteran schooling the kids.
Joining Chris Long and his Green Light Podcast, which aired Monday, Dupree was asked about his mentality facing the Steelers’ first-rounders, Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu.
“You gotta go all day with them,” Dupree told Long. “Young guys, they come out hyped. They come out hyped. Early on, you gotta let them know early on that I’m a grown man and you’re still a kid. You gotta make sure you’re telling them that. But at the end of the day, they’re two first-rounders, so they’re going to be talented. You gotta make sure when they drop their ball, you’re making them pay every time.”
Bud Dupree wasn’t talking smack to his former team. He gave them their due but recognized what it’s like to battle young but athletic first-rounders with high expectations. Dupree was once in that camp, ultra-athletic but unrefined, coming out of Kentucky, a school that didn’t even offer a true positional coach. Traits and upside made him a first rounder. Staying healthy and honing his craft proved he was worth the investment, breaking out for 11.5 sacks in 2019, eventually cashing in with the Tennessee Titans.
The Chargers third EDGE rusher behind Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, Dupree figures to log time on both sides. This means that he’ll see both tackles, presuming they’re both starters. Jones is a lock at one of the tackle spots, most likely on the left side, while Fautanu has a good chance to assume starting right tackle duties. Dupree signed a two-year deal worth up to $10 million with the Chargers, choosing them over reported interest from Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
Big-picture, Bud Dupree said he’s pumped to play in Pittsburgh again.
“It’s always great homecoming to go back to Pittsburgh, no matter what team you’re playing for. If you played in Pittsburgh, to go back and play in Pittsburgh, it’s always good. It’s always a great feeling. The fans always show you love…the whole coaching staff that was there when I played is still there. They never change. So it’ll always be good to see those people.”
Dupree will play both of his former teams this season. After seeing the Steelers in Week 3, he’ll travel to Atlanta in Week 13.
The Steelers-Chargers game will be Pittsburgh’s home opener. They’re looking for more success than in recent years, losing their last three openers, including a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers a season ago. It’s Pittsburgh’s only home game over the first month of the season and a crucial contest for the Steelers to win.
Bud Dupree has faced the Steelers once in his career, 2021 while a member of the Titans. He finished the game with two tackles, one QB hit, and one sack in a 19-13 Pittsburgh victory. If he can have a similar stat line off the bench this season, he’ll boost his new team’s chances of winning.
Check out the whole episode below.
