The Tennessee Titans desperately needed to add a pass rusher in free agency this offseason after owning one of the worst sack totals in the NFL in 2020, so landing outside linebacker Bud Dupree amounts to a huge move.
However, Dupree doesn’t come without some concerns.
On top of his coming off a torn ACL, many have questioned the legitimacy of his past production because of the stellar supporting cast he was surrounded with in Pittsburgh, and the scheme he played in.
During his introductory Zoom presser on Friday, Dupree addressed that concern, per John Glennon of Broadway Sports:
“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?”
Interestingly enough, this graphic from Next Gen Stats actually shows that the Steelers’ pass rush took a dip when Dupree wasn’t on the field.
The Steelers pass rush production dropped off significantly without Bud Dupree on the field during the 2020 season, especially on 3rd down and on non-blitzes. https://t.co/jvC5pUHOnf pic.twitter.com/BHBplJUyt9
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 10, 2021
As far as his injury is concerned, Dupree says he’ll be a full-go by May and will be ready to fully participate in training camp.
You can check out everything else Dupree spoke about during his introductory presser by clicking below.
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