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The Tennessee Titans signed outside linebacker Bud Dupree to a lucrative, long-term deal earlier this offseason in the hopes that he could help improve a pass-rush that finished with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2020.
However, despite being productive during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, many analysts are down on Dupree, with some downright calling him overrated.
One of those analysts is Pro Football Network’s James Fragoza, who picked Dupree as the Titans’ most overrated player going into the 2021 campaign.
Bud Dupree is an edge rusher who generated sacks off his supporting cast, left in free agency for a massive contract, and will now be tested as a team’s primary pass-rush option. Yet, Dupree hasn’t even dominated the sacks category, despite cleaning up after T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and Stephon Tuitt. His lone double-digit-sack season came in 2019 (11.5).
The opinion that Dupree was simply a product of the talent around him in Pittsburgh is a common one, but there is evidence to suggest that it really isn’t that simple.
In May, we shared an article with you from NFL.com’s Nick Shook, who listed the top-10 disruptors from last season based on Next Gen Stats’ numbers.
In that list, Dupree was ranked No. 5, but more interestingly Shook pointed out that his former teammate and elite pass-rusher, T.J. Watt, saw a drop in pressure rate after the Kentucky product tore his ACL.
In the 12 games Dupree played in, Watt recorded a 19 percent pressure rate. With Dupree out, Watt’s pressure rate fell to less than 10 percent, underscoring Dupree’s importance to the defense.
The obvious conclusion here is that Watt was helped by Dupree’s presence on the field, thus it wasn’t simply a one-way street with Dupree reaping all of the benefits of the immense talent around him.
When asked about the doubts about the legitimacy of his past production back in March, Dupree suggested that his doubters “just turn on the tape.”
“Just turn on the tape. You see the 1-on-1s. If I get a 1-on-1, I win. (If I get chipped), I win. In the run game, no outside linebacker can play the run like me, in the league,” Dupree said confidently. “So I don’t know where people get that from. You can’t get mad because I’ve got other great players on the team. It’s just anywhere you go, there are always going to be excuses why people do this and why people do that.
“But if you turn the tape on and you see me hit a running back three yards behind the line of scrimmage, how can you say that’s because of someone else? Or if I win (on the pass rush) in one second, how can you say that’s because of someone else?”
More recently, Dupree made it clear that he understands why he was brought in but that his job was to be more than a one-trick pony, meaning he wants to make an impact in the run game and with his teammates, also.
“Anytime you get paid to pass rush, you go ahead and get sacks and make big plays in the run game, be an all-around player,” Dupree said. “You don’t just come in just to be a one-trick pony and just do pass rush. You’ve got to be able to be a tone-setter on the edge, as well, swarming to the ball, stopping the run, evolving your teammates, getting everybody hyped up. That’s what it is, man. That excites everybody around you, and that’s a big part of the game, in today’s game, especially. We’ve got to go out and be tough, tough as nails, go out there and just play to our best ability.”
Before he can do anything, Dupree has to be cleared to practice. The veteran has said he’s doing great in his recovery, but it’ll be up to the Titans’ coaches and doctors when he makes his practice debut.
Dupree has maintained that he expects to be a full-go by training camp. We’ll see if that comes to fruition when it starts later this month.
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