The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without one of their best defenders in 2020, but here’s why Bud Dupree isn’t returning to the team.
The Steelers may have defeated the Ravens on Wednesday afternoon, but advancing to 11-0 on the season feels like anything but a win – especially considering the circumstances. Mike Tomlin’s team struggled mightily on offense and special teams. As a result, they squeaked past the league’s most decimated roster in a narrow 19-14 win.
However, the biggest takeaway from the game is that Bud Dupree will be out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It was exciting to see Dupree’s career blossom throughout his five seasons in Pittsburgh, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, when he does return to the field, it won’t be in black and yellow. Here are three reasons why Bud Dupree has played his final snaps with the Steelers:
Health is now a factor
There is a more obvious and glaring reason why Bud Dupree will not return to the Steelers, and I will expand on that in a bit. However, we can now add health concerns to the list of reasons why the edge defender will be seeking employment on a different team next year. Despite his dominant run in the first ten-and-a-half games this season before going down with a knee injury, some of his accomplishments in 2020 will now be overshadowed by his pending health heading into next season.
While tearing an ACL doesn’t necessarily mean that Dupree is going to be an injury-prone player moving forward, the timeliness of his injury was not ideal. Had this happened much earlier in the season (like Devin Bush’s knee injury), Dupree would have plenty of time to rehab from one of the most serious ligament tears a player can recover from. However, he is looking at a 6-9 month recovery period – meaning that he could end up missing training camp time next offseason. This is an injury that you certainly don’t want to rush someone back to the field with, and Dupree may not be in football shape heading into the 2021 season, for what it’s worth.
Steelers can’t afford him
This is the most obvious reason why the Steelers will not be able to retain Bud Dupree after the 2020 season, and if Pittsburgh were to have a load of money to spend, this situation might be very different. As it stands, Kevin Colbert’s team has a very concerning salary cap outlook heading into the 2021 offseason.
According to Over the Cap, the Pittsburgh Steelers are projected to be $19.2 million in the hole next year – and that’s with just 34 players who are currently under contract for the 2021 season. Because of the pandemic, teams that have spent to the salary cap ceiling (i.e. the Steelers) are put in a very tough position. Not only does Pittsburgh lack the money to sign an edge rusher like Dupree, but they will also have to cut players in the process.
As a result, players like Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Vance McDonald, Eric Ebron, and Maurkice Pouncey could end up being cap casualties in an effort for the Steelers to free up space and get back under the cap. In a different year, perhaps Pittsburgh finds a way to keep a player like Bud Dupree, but it’s just not going to happen with the way things are financially due to the pandemic.
There will be a high market for Dupree
Had the Steelers not given Dupree the fifth-year option, perhaps they would have been able to sign him back at a cheaper extension. However, with the way the former first-round pick played prior to his season-ending knee injury, there is going to be a reasonably large market for what he brings to the table.
In addition to his team-first mentality and high character, Dupree is a terrific athlete and he has shown that some of his best football is in front of him. Though he’s not considered to be an ‘elite’ edge defender in the NFL by most accounts, good pass rushers are hard to come by, and Dupree checks the boxes for what most teams look for.
Bud is still just 27 years old and with the way the market has cornered on pass rushers, he is likely looking at an extension that is estimated to earn him about $16.6 million per season, according to Spotrac.com. If this would have been T.J. Watt in the same situation in the last year of his deal, the Steelers would do everything in their power to keep him around. But they can ill-afford to move money around for an edge defender that isn’t the best on their team.
In the end, the Steelers no doubt wish they could keep Bud Dupree around for the long haul but it’s just not reasonable knowing that T.J. Watt is going to be one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the league, and Pittsburgh can’t afford to clear up space for him. When it was all said and done, Dupree turned out to be a fine pick by Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin, but he will be continuing his career elsewhere in 2021. We wish him the best of luck moving forward.