The Titans had already agreed to terms with former Colts defensive lineman Denico Autry to shore up what was a pathetic pass rush plan in 2020, and the addition of ex-Steelers edge-rusher Bud Dupree certainly does make things more interesting. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Dupree has agreed to terms on a multi-year deal worth a maximum of $16.5 million per year.
Dupree is a better player than people think he is, and we haven’t seen the actual contract numbers yet, but if he’s being paid like an elite edge guy ($16.5 million per year would exactly match the contracts given to Arizona’s Chandler Jones and Green Bay’s Za’Darius Smith), Dupree will have to elevate his game a bit to match that scratch, but he was on his way to that general neighborhood in 2020 before injuries got in the way.
Though his sack numbers have varied pretty wildly from season to season, Dupree has proven to be pretty consistent when it comes to total quarterback pressures — he’s had at least 42 every year since 2017, and 43 in a 2020 season that ended for him in Week 12 due to a torn ACL. Of course, when your bookend on the defensive line has 75 pressures (hello, T.J. Watt), and you’re on the same line with a guy like Cameron Heyward who can wreck half an offensive line whenever he wants to, the automatic assumption is that Dupree is more a product of his environment than a force on his own.
While there may be some truth to that in a general sense, when you isolate Dupree on tape, he’s perfectly capable of making his own statements with an impressive array of pass-rushing techniques.
Here, in Week 11, he just bombs Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson (who’s also in our Top 101 free agents list) with a long-arm power move straight out of the Von Miller playbook to sack quarterback Jake Luton…
…and here, in Week 8, he displays his ability to work in traffic to close quickly to and through the pocket to force a Lamar Jackson fumble. One of the more impressive effort sacks of the 2020 season.
Dupree was on pace to have his best season before he was injured, and as long as everything checks out in that regard, he’ll do very well in Tennessee’s front, and as an occasional off-ball linebacker. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Titans choose to align Dupree and Autry in the same front.