Bud Dupree free agency: Pass rusher met with Chargers, has been in talks with Falcons and Steelers, per report
Bud Dupree free agency: Pass rusher met with Chargers, has been in talks with Falcons and Steelers, per report
While free agency is in its third month, there are still several notable players in search of a new team. One of those players is former first-round pick Bud Dupree, who recently met with the Chargers and has also been talking with the Falcons and Steelers, according to ESPN.
Dupree, 31, spent the 2024 season with the Falcons, where he recorded his most productive campaign since 2020, his final season with the Steelers, who selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Dupree had 6.5 sacks, 39 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles last season.
Bud Dupree ATL • OLB • #48 View Profile
Dupree would likely be a backup in either Pittsburgh or Los Angeles. The Steelers’ outside linebacker spots are currently manned by perennial All-Pro T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Eight-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack and four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa are the Chargers’ starting outside linebackers.
Dupree could possibly start in Atlanta, though. The Falcons’ projected starting outside linebackers are Arnold Ebiketie and Lorenzo Carter, who combined to record nine sacks and three forced fumbles last season while playing with Dupree. Atlanta did spend a third-round pick on former Washington outside linebacker Bralen Trice, who had 18 sacks during his final two years with the Huskies.
A former standout at Kentucky, Dupree’s NFL career started slowly. He started in just nine games during his first two seasons before becoming a full-time starter in 2016. Dupree’s breakout season took place in 2019, when he tallied a career-high 11.5 sacks while helping Pittsburgh boast the league’s fifth-best scoring defense.
Dupree (who played six seasons in Pittsburgh after the Steelers franchise-tagged him after picking up his fifth-year option for the 2019 season) enjoyed a solid start to the 2020 season before he suffered a season-ending knee injury after 11 games. What followed was an underwhelming two-year stint with the Titans, who during the 2021 offseason signed him to a massive five-year deal.
Last season, though, showed that Dupree may be back to where he was prior to injuring his knee, which might be why he is generating interest on the open market.