With the Tennessee Titans releasing Bud Dupree on Wednesday, the veteran outside linebacker is reportedly drawing interest from his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, the Steelers have “preliminary interest” in Dupree, but only if “he’s healthy,” which has been an issue for Dupree the last few years.
While definitely a difference-maker when on the field, Dupree missed a total of 12 games over two seasons due to knee and hip issues, which was no doubt a factor in the Titans releasing him.
Dupree posted 19.5 sacks with the Steelers in the two seasons before coming to Tennessee on a five-year, $82.5 million deal. For the Titans, Dupree had just seven sacks in 22 contests over two years.
I’m told the #Steelers have preliminary interest in bringing back Edge Rusher Bud Dupree if they deem “he’s healthy,” a source said. Dupree’s name has definitely come up in Pitt. We’ll see if they end up together once he sorts out his market following his release from Tennessee.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 16, 2023
On top of his injury issues and overall lack of production, Dupree’s $20.2 million cap hit was also a reason Tennessee cut ties. The move saves the Titans $9.35 million in cap space, but adds a dead-cap charge of $10.85 million.
