The Pittsburgh Steelers are open to a reunion with former first-round pick and OLB Bud Dupree. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dupree “has been talking” with the Steelers along with one of his other former teams, the Atlanta Falcons. Schefter also notes Dupree just wrapped up a visit with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 22nd overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, Dupree spent six years in Pittsburgh. Injuries slowed the start of his career but he broke out in 2019, registering 11.5 sacks. The Steelers franchise tagged him in the offseason.
He was having a strong 2020 season before tearing his ACL late in the year, ending it with eight sacks. A free agent the following offseason, he signed a long-term deal with the Tennessee Titans. But his productivity was muted, recording seven sacks over two seasons, and the team released him after 2022.
Bud Dupree, now 31, signed with the Falcons for the 2023 season, starting 16 games and bouncing back with a respectable 6.5 sacks. For his career, Dupree has started in 99 of the 119 games he’s played in, recording 305 tackles (70 for a loss) with 53 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and one interception. An athletic freak out of Kentucky, Dupree was raw but developed and displayed a well-rounded game of pass rush, run defense, and overall pursuit.
If he returned to Pittsburgh, he would split defensive snaps with Nick Herbig, coming off his promising year. Last year, Herbig and Markus Golden split snaps. Golden’s contract expired and he remains a free agent while the team claimed Jeremiah Moon off waivers early in the offseason.
The biggest obstacle to Dupree returning to Pittsburgh would be his lack of special teams value, logging just four such snaps over the past two years. That became a problem with Golden, leaving him inactive for one game. Herbig also played well as a rookie and deserves to be the team’s No. 3, though depth at such an important position is always key for teams like the Steelers.
