Bud Dupree Arrives in Pittsburgh for Visit With Steelers

Former Steelers OLB Bud Dupree has arrived in Pittsburgh for his visit with the team, he posted on his Instagram story Thursday morning.

Bud Dupree was released by Tennessee Titans before the free agency period started. After only two seasons with the team, it ended up being sour and he is on the move. Last week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Dupree would be coming to Pittsburgh for a visit with his former team, the Steelers.

The team has appeared interested in outside linebackers all of NFL Draft season and with a sore need for depth at the position, Dupree makes plenty of sense to fill the void behind Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. The familiarity would be there for them as well since they all played together for a season.

Health will be a big factor if Bud Dupree is to return to the Steel City, and this could be the reason for Dupree’s visit to Pittsburgh since there is certainly no lack of familiarity between the parties. He dealt with a hip injury early on in Nashville after suffering an ACL tear in his last season with Pittsburgh. The hip issue continued into 2022 when he played in 11 games and also hurt his pectoral muscle.

Because he was released, Dupree would not count against the Steelers’ compensatory pick formula for next year’s NFL Draft. In 22 games in the past two seasons, Dupree only has registered seven total sacks in Nashville. Through injuries and some inconsistent play, Dupree only has 50 total pressures in those 11 games as well. That left his pressure rate at its lowest level since 2018 with the Steelers, the year before his first breakout season with Pittsburgh.

But alongside Watt and Highsmith, Dupree had the best years of his NFL career. A reunion makes plenty of sense as long as the medical part of this checks out. Now, it will come down to if that all works out.