Steelers News: Making the obvious known, Steelers predicted to tag Bud Dupree

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season is officially over. After finishing the year 8-8, the Steelers, and their vast fan base, has another long offseason awaiting them. Just because the games are done doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at how the Pittsburgh Steelers are predicted to indeed place a tag on Bud Dupree in the coming week.

Let’s get to the news:

• This isn’t going to surprise anyone, but the Steelers are predicted to franchise tag Bud Dupree for the 2020 season.

2020 NFL free-agency predictions: Our picks for all 32 teams’ top player on the market

By: ESPN, Staff Writers

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bud Dupree, linebacker

After four mediocre seasons with the Steelers, Dupree had a breakout season in 2019 with a career-best 11.5 sacks opposite of T.J. Watt. The two are cornerstone pieces, and the Steelers’ front office has been consistent in saying they want to keep Dupree in Pittsburgh. But because Dupree has played himself into a high value on the open market, they will have to use the franchise tag to keep him.

Prediction: The Steelers don’t hesitate to tag Dupree and keep him around for at least one more season. — Brooke Pryor

To read the full article, click HERE (ESPN+)

• The Steelers, along with other NFL Franchises, are keeping business as usual despite the scare of the coronavirus.

Many teams, including Saints, say they continue to operate business as usual

By: Charean Williams, ProFootballTalk

Eagles coaches are not on the road for pro days, but Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com reports that “it’s not based entirely on concerns about COVID-19.” The new coaching staff wants to stay on site, preparing for free agency and working on schemes.

Eagles scouts are traveling to pro days.

Many teams, including the Jets, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, appear to be sticking with the “business as usual” mantra for now. The 49ers, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, don’t normally send coaches on the road this time of year anyway, and area scouts continue to attend pro days.

The Steelers have adjusted some of their travel plans, though coach Mike Tomlin is expected to attend Clemson’s pro day on Thursday.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• A rock for the Steelers defense...the defensive line.

Steelers-By-Position: Defensive Linemen

By: Bob Labriola, Steelers.com

Another in a position-by-position series in advance of the start of free agency on March 18.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8)

Tyson Alualu, Isaiah Buggs, Javon Hargrave, Cam Heyward, Dan McCullers, Henry Mondeaux, Stephon Tuitt, L.T. Walton

(Free Agent Scorecard: 2 unrestricted – Javon Hargrave, L.T. Walton)

A LAST LOOK AT 2019

The injury that cost the team the services of Ben Roethlisberger for all but six quarters of the 2019 regular season gets most of the attention, and deservedly so, but it wasn’t the only significant injury the Steelers were forced to try to overcome. The other was to Stephon Tuitt.

Through the first five games of the regular season, Tuitt played 59.4 percent of the defensive snaps, and he and Cam Heyward were on the way to posing the kind of problems to opponents on the interior of the line of scrimmage that T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree would end up posing to those same opponents from the edges.

Tuitt tore a pectoral muscle five defensive snaps into the sixth game of the regular season, which was against the Chargers in Los Angeles, and to that point he had 22 tackles, including six for loss, 3.5 sacks, and seven hits on the quarterback. Since Tuitt had no tackles or sacks in the game against the Chargers before being injured, his stat line could have projected to 70 tackles and 11 sacks. That would have gone nicely with Heyward’s 83 tackles and nine sacks, even though projected totals often fall short of the actual numbers.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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Placing a grade for the impending tagging of Bud Dupree

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