Steelers News: If the Steelers decided to let Bud Dupree walk, is that a bold move?

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 although ESPN suggests letting Dupree walk is a bold move, maybe it isn’t that bold at all.

Let’s get to the news:

• Is letting Bud Dupree hit free agency bold, or just a smart move?

The Pittsburgh Steelers ‘bold move’ of the 2020 offseason:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Let Bud Dupree walk

The Steelers already made their bold move last season, when they sent this year’s first-round draft pick to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick and revitalized their defense in the process. Getting Ben Roethlisberger back is (A) a fait accompli and (B) not something that the Steelers are going to try to upgrade on even if the quarterback isn’t 2015 Roethlisberger anymore.

So the bold move, then, is about looking at Pittsburgh’s salary-cap scenario (at just $1.5 million under the cap as of this writing, it doesn’t have much room) and taking a stand on its free agents. Dupree had a monster season, but a lot of that came with better coverage than he’d seen in his first four years in the NFL. SIS tracked his hurries and pressures, and his hurry rate of 5.7% in 2019 was actually lower than it had been in any of his previous three seasons. His pressure rate of 10.1% was on par with his 10.0% in 2018 and 11.8% in 2017. The only difference was 11.5 sacks versus his usual five or six.

Dupree is going to ask for a big contract. Pittsburgh should nod and let him find it elsewhere. He’s not that kind of pass-rusher.

— Rivers McCown

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

• James Washington took a big step forward in 2019, and he is focused on making himself the best player possible heading into 2020.

Washington focused on the future

By: Teresa Varley, Steelers.com

The 2019 season was a far cry from what James Washington expected it to be.

He came back from his rookie year for OTAs focused and ready to go, having dropped 15 pounds in the offseason thanks to working on his family’s farm in Texas and training in the heat in Miami, Florida.

He had spent time watching film, becoming what he referred to as a football junkie.

He had confidence, something he admits he struggled with as a rookie.

Everything seemed good.

Until one morning during training camp when he and his teammates woke up to the unthinkable, that receivers coach Darryl Drake had passed away totally unexpected. It was a shock. It was heartbreaking. It was something he never envisioned having to deal with.

”It was a rollercoaster for sure from the get-go,” said Washington in a quiet, reflective voice. “Keeping Coach Drake in our minds helped us keep that faith and maintain a competitive attitude all year.”

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Some players, mainly the Pouncey brothers, are starting a lockout fund for the 2021 season.

Mike Pouncey say veteran players are organizing a separate strike fund

By: Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk

For the past few years, the NFL Players Association has been squirreling away cash in the event of a work stoppage in 2021. Chargers center Mike Pouncey claims that he and other veterans will be creating a separate strike fund to help players get through a season without football.

“We are in the process of drawing up another fund to help in the wake of this 2021 strike,” Pouncey said on Instagram. “I myself @mikepouncey and @russellokung are all putting up 250k apiece along with a lot of other vet players stay tuned!!”

This follows a recent video from Mike Pouncey, whose choice of language was far from i-dentical to his identical twice Maurkice. In Mike’s video, he provided that all players will be taken care of during a 2021 strike.

In order for a work stoppage to work, it will be critical for the players to have enough cash for the duration of it. But collecting, handling, and dispersing that cash quickly will become a full-time job for one or more people. Plus, there will be many questions to resolve. Does every player get the same total amount? Or do players get it based on what they currently earn, with a percentage replaced? Does federal/state law require taxes to be paid and withheld? Will some players who have made dramatically more than most be expected to take nothing? If so, what will be the cutoff?

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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