Steelers have opportunity to reunite with former first-round draft pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an opportunity to reunite with a former first-round draft pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an opportunity to reunite with a former first-round draft pick this offseason.
On Monday, the Tennessee Titans released pass rusher Bud Dupree just two years after he signed a five-year deal with the franchise.
Dupree was originally drafted by the Steelers with the No. 22 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The former Kentucky standout had a terrific final two seasons in Pittsburgh, totaling 19.5 sacks in 27 games (Dupree tore his ACL near the end of the 2020 season).
Dupree parlayed his solid 2019 and 2020 seasons into a five-year contract with the Titans worth $82.5 million.
Since signing that deal two years ago, Dupree has missed 12 games. The inability to consistently stay on the field limited Dupree to just seven sacks during his time in Nashville.
While the last two years haven't gone as Dupree would have liked, he's still a talented player who is only 30 years old. Dupree can still offer value as an outside linebacker to a team.
And the Steelers would be a good fit.
Pittsburgh needs outside linebacker depth behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. A one-year "prove it deal" would make sense for Dupree and the Steelers.
If Dupree returns to this 2019/20 form, perhaps Pittsburgh can look into extending him for a couple of years. If he doesn't return to that level of production, then the Steelers aren't really out anything.
There's little risk in bringing Dupree back to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal. He knows the culture/expectations and he could hit the ground running upon his return.
