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Why Dupree and Hilton should top off-season priority list

By Brandon Kring

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 28: Bud Dupree #48 of the Pittsburgh Steelers attempts to pump up the crowd in the second half during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field on October 28, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 28: Bud Dupree #48 of the Pittsburgh Steelers attempts to pump up the crowd in the second half during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field on October 28, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 08: (L-R) Mike Hilton #28, Bud Dupree #48, Dan McCullers #93 and Benny Snell Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers run onto the field for the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals 23-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 08: (L-R) Mike Hilton #28, Bud Dupree #48, Dan McCullers #93 and Benny Snell Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers run onto the field for the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals 23-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Taking care of business

The Steelers had their best year on defense in some time. They should do all they can to avoid massive change to the group.

It’s almost a given that Javon Hargrave is going to be elsewhere so there is one piece that is changing. Hilton and Dupree are the only other starters to worry about.

There is a tight cap situation but there are some things on Pittsburgh’s side to help reduce that pressure. Mike Hilton is a restricted free agent so the Steelers are in a good spot with him.

They can put a second-round tender on him to give him a bump in pay as well as put a small deterrence there for teams that want to negotiate with him. Should a team negotiate and reach a deal with Hilton while he has a tender on him, the Steelers could opt to match and sign him to that deal or not match the deal and let him sign with the other team and receive that team’s second-round pick as compensation.

This will help the Steelers limit the cap hit for next season and offer themselves a little insurance. This will allow them to turn their attention to Bud Dupree.

The cap, according to Over The Cap, the Steelers sit at just under $1.5 million for 2020. This is extremely tight but, luckily, there are some cuts that can be made to bring relief.

Using OTC’s calculator, the Steelers can cut Mark Barron, Ramon Foster, Anthony Chickillo and Vance McDonald and bring their space to around $19.3 million.

The projected second-round tender placed on Hilton is listed at $3.278 million which brings them down to just over $16.5 million. That is a lot more to work within a potential Dupree extension.

The Steelers could tag Dupree but as an edge player, that will likely come at a high price. They would be better off finding common ground and getting a deal done.

The Steelers could afford to lose Hilton but the tender brings them some return for him than letting him walk. Cam Sutton has done well and could replace if needed but Hilton should be priority.

If losing Hilton is necessary to keep Dupree, then you do what needs done. That is why Dupree is priority one and Hilton is two.

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Both of them are top priorities as I stated before but, the top need is keeping the Dupree-Watt combo intact. The Steelers have a lot of cap maneuvering to do but they have options to get Dupree and Hilton here for 2020 and maybe beyond.

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