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The Pittsburgh Steelers and outside linebacker Bud Dupree are currently in limbo, as it pertains to Dupree’s role, or lack thereof, on the Steelers roster in 2020. Dupree is a prime candidate to get a franchise tag placed on him after his 11.5 sack 2019 season, but a long term contract is also an option.
Both sides have some work to do when it comes to ironing out the details, but the odds of Dupree not playing for the black-and-gold for at least next season are slim-to-none. With that said, it is worth noting Dupree is spending another offseason with Coach Brandon Jordan, a pass rushing guru, to help him hone his craft.
Check out the video of Dupree putting in work below:
Every time we link up, it’s a movie! @Bud_Dupree pic.twitter.com/KeBLy3vSWr
— Coach Brandon Jordan (@CoachBTJordan) March 8, 2020
This is the second straight season Dupree has had his journey with Coach Jordan, and the first was prior to the 2019 season. Dupree’s success last season might be due to more than just offseason work, but if working with Jordan, and in this setting, helped him reach double-digit sacks, the Steelers will be wise to keep Dupree around for longer than one year.
When it pertains to keeping Dupree long-term, you have to wonder how much a team can afford to pay their bookend pass rushers. If Dupree were to get a long-term contract, and T.J. Watt hits a huge payday in 2022, that would be a massive amount of salary cap space spent on one position. Not necessarily ideal when you have to keep the rest of the team competitive too.
Of course, none of that is Dupree’s concern. He wants to hit pay dirt, and even if it is via the Exclusive Rights Franchise Tag, he would make over $16 million dollars for one season of work.
Not a bad pay day.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for NFL Free Agency, the schedule release and the 2020 NFL Draft.