Since returning from a three-game stint on Injured Reserve, Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Bud Dupree has looked good, notching a sack in each of the two games he’s been back.
On Tuesday, Titans outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow noted that Dupree has looked better since coming back from injury and believes the IR stint he had due to an abdominal injury might have done him some good, including with his surgically-repaired knee.
“It was kind of a blessing in disguise,” Crow said, per Ben Arthur of The Tennessean. “It gave him time for his knee to heal, for his ab to heal, for his whole body to heal and his mind. I think he came back looking better than ever since he’s been here. He’s been ripping and roaring.”
Dupree admitted earlier in the season that he had experienced some setbacks with his knee, which led to his missing games. It’s also possible the knee has been a cause of his lackluster production when he was on the field earlier in the season.
Crow says that Dupree’s “get off” was something that showed up in his film from his time with the Steelers, and the outside linebackers coach is seeing that “get off” from Dupree since his return from injury.
“The first thing I saw was his get off,” Crow explained. “When I watched (his film) when we first signed him, the first thing I noticed was his get off and his ability to just attack off the ball with speed. You saw that kind of dwindle toward the beginning of the year. Fatigue issues on the knee, just gaining trust on it. His first game back off IR I saw that back. And that’s exciting.
“Part of it is shaking off the rust. It’s been a couple of games in, a couple games out… Now it’s just shaking off the rust and being able to sustain what he’s seeing and how he’s reacting. All that stuff, which will come. And it has been coming.”
If Dupree, who is currently on the COVID-19 list, can continue to move in the right direction and provide the kind of play the Titans were hoping for when they signed him, an already impressive pass-rush will become even more dangerous for the stretch run of the season.
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