Bud

Dupree

After a productive first season with the Chargers, Dupree signed an extension to stick around for an additional season. The deal is for one year and worth up to $6 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 32-year-old finished last season with a 47.1 PFF grade, good for No. 188 among edge rushes; he totaled six sacks and an interception in the regular season. Dupree will play next to Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu again as part of the Chargers’ pass rush.

In addition to the Chargers, Dupree has also met with the Falcons and Steelers. Dupree spent last season with the Falcons, amassing 39 tackles and 6.5 sacks, and was with the Steelers from 2015 until 2020. The veteran pass rusher has totaled 53 sacks over his nine-year career and was tied with Calais Campbell for the most sacks for the Falcons last season. Dupree can still provide plenty of help on passing downs but shouldn’t be counted on too heavily as an every-down player heading into his 10th season.

That means we’ll be expecting Dupree at OTAs. He, Calais Campbell, and Arnold Ebiketie will likely be the top three pass rushers for Atlanta in 2023. Dupree played just 22 games for the Titans in two seasons.

Widely expected to return to the Steelers after spending his first six NFL seasons in Pittsburgh, Dupree sided with Atlanta, which has made a series of defensive signings this offseason. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Steelers “were heavily in the mix ... but Dupree preferred a one-year deal. Steelers typically do two-year deals on veteran contracts of substance, and it appears they held firm to that here.” Dupree, 30, saw his play fall off during two injury-plagued years with the Titans, totaling just seven sacks in 22 games. Dupree joins an Atlanta defense graded by PFF as last season’s second worst pass rush.

It was reported near the start of free agency that the Steelers had interest in reuniting with Dupree, who the team drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In six seasons with the Steelers, Dupree totaled 39.5 sacks, which included an 11.5 sack season in 2019. After spending the last two seasons with the Titans, Dupree, 30, is back on the market and could be heading back to the Steel City. Despite ending last season on injured reserve, Dupree is reportedly healthy and ready to prove he’s still capable offering meaningful contributions to a team.

Dupree was released two years into a five-year deal with the Titans this offseason. Returning to the Steelers may be the best fit for Dupree, who spent the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh. After missing 12 games the last two seasons, Dupree will need to prove he’s healthy before signing.

Dupree has not been officially released as of yet, but it is a foregone conclusion. Dupree ranked just 126th in Pro Football Focus’ defensive grades among EDGE players in 2022. Entering his age-30 season, he cannot be relied upon for anything more than solid depth at this point in his career. His release will save the Titans $9.4 million in cap space.

Dupree ends the season with four sacks and nine quarterback hits in 11 starts. He’s played just 22 games and has only seven sacks for the Titans in the regular season -- though he did add a playoff sack of Joe Burrow to that tally in 2021. Dupree will have a $20.2 million cap hit in 2023 that the Titans can move on from, and given that he’s missed time in each of his two seasons in Tennessee, he’s probably more likely to be cut or traded than not at this point.

He was videoed throwing his gloves into the crowd, so we’d be surprised if he returned. Dupree came up awkwardly after a rush. He had one quarterback hit before leaving. Tennessee’s EDGE depth will have to continue to come through against the Texans.

It is unclear when Dupree re-aggravated the hip injury that held him out of two games earlier in the year. Expect further update on his status to come following the game.