Just hours before the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off, the Steelers have locked down one of their most impactful pieces from the 2019 NFL season, Bud Dupree.
The Steelers placed the franchise tag on Dupree in mid-March, confirming their intention to keep him in the black and gold for another year at a $15.828 million price tag.
Thursday, Dupree, 27, gave the deal his blessing, signing the franchise tender and sealing the transaction. Now, Dupree is officially under contract with the Steelers for the 2020 NFL season and will be required to attend all mandatory workouts and team activities, if any actually take place anytime soon. The Steelers acre scheduled to begin their virtual OTAs April 27.
The Steelers have until July 15 to get a long-term contract completed with Dupree and they would like to do so. That would keep Dupree in Pittsburgh while also lowering his 2020 cap hit, something the team could use, as well.
The narrative surrounding Dupree flipped dramatically in 2019. A first-round pick by the Steelers in the 2015 NFL Draft, Dupree struggled to consistently make an impact on the field through his first four seasons. He was a serviceable starter, no doubt, but he failed to live up to that first-round-draft-pick status.
The team picked up Dupree's fifth-year option heading into 2019, though, and Dupree proved them wise for doing so.
He posted 11.5 sacks, 68 tackles (49 solo), 16 tackles for a loss, 17 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three passes defended — all career highs.
Working at right outside linebacker with first-team All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt on the other side, Dupree formed one half of the league's most devastating edge-rushing tandem throughout the 2019 season. In all, the Steelers led the league in sacks with 54 and also generated a league-best 38 takeaways, 18 of which were forced fumbles, also the most in the NFL.
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