Ever since Bud Dupree signed his lucrative contract to join the Tennessee Titans in 2021, there’s been a lot of people who have been skeptical and/or critical of the move.
Most of the criticism that surrounded the former Steeler was the fact that he only has one season with double-digit sacks, and the easy assumption to make is that he just benefited from playing with the likes of T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward.
No one is arguing against the fact that he benefited from their presence, but people often forget how much they benefited from his as well.
This article is going to provide an in-depth look at the true impact that Dupree has made over the last few years that a lot of people won’t ever understand by just looking at a simple stat sheet.
Bud Dupree Highlights Vs Colts pic.twitter.com/Khk94LKkVy
— MADsportSD16 (@MADsportSD16) October 23, 2022
Before we get started, it’s important to note that all of the data included in this article was collected from Next Gen Stats, unless otherwise noted.
Having said all that, let’s dive right into it.
Pre-Titans tenure
Prior to joining the Titans, Dupree had spent his whole career in Pittsburgh ever since being drafted back in 2015. Over the first four years there, he averaged somewhere around four to six sacks each season.
It wasn’t until the 2019 campaign that Dupree’s production truly took off. From 2019-2020, the Kentucky product totaled 56 pressures and 19.5 sacks in just 27 games.
Good luck stopping @Bud_Dupree 😤 pic.twitter.com/7ORxgvTy7I
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 9, 2020
Unfortunately, the veteran linebacker’s 2020 season was cut short after suffering a significant knee injury in the middle of what was sure to be a career year.
Throughout the entirety of those two seasons, Dupree was among the most disruptive and impactful pass rushers in the league.
According to Next Gen Stats, after the 2019 season, the high-priced defender was tied with Shaquille Barrett for the most turnovers caused by one of his quarterback pressures or sacks (six turnovers created).
Dupree continued on this trajectory up until his injury. From 2019-2020, the former Steeler finished that two-year run by tallying a total of nine turnovers from his pressures (tied for second-most).
The only person he trailed was the same player he was tied with the year prior. However, the biggest difference is the fact that Dupree only played 11 games in 2020, while Barrett played nearly the entire season.
The Georgia native also finished his season with the fifth-highest disruption rate in the NFL (15.7 percent) after causing a total of 50 disruptions on the year.
The best evidence of his true impact came once the talented defender wasn’t on the field.
During the 2020 season, Dupree played a total of 359 quarterback dropbacks; the Steelers’ defensive totals with him on the field were as follows:
- Sack rate: 11.1 percent
- Pressure rate: 44.0 percent
- Pressure rate on third down: 48.7 percent
- Pressure rate non-blitzes: 37.3 percent
The following numbers are the Steelers’ totals without Dupree on the field for approximately 222 dropback snaps. As you’ll see, Pittsburgh’s defense instantly felt his loss whenever he wasn’t on the field.
- Sack rate: 7.2 percent (difference of -3.9)
- Pressure rate: 26.6 percent (difference of -17.4)
- Pressure rate on third down: 30.5 percent (difference of -18.2)
- Pressure rate non-blitzes: 23.0 percent (difference of -14.3)
The former Kentucky Wildcat’s absence impacted the Steelers’ top defender as well. In every game that Dupree played in, Watt produced a pressure rate of 19 percent. Once Dupree was out of the lineup, Watt’s pressure rate fell under 10 percent.
Plus, according to Next Gen Stats, the former Pittsburgh pass-rusher also accounted for the second-most hustle stops in the league (six).
It’s easy to see why the Titans were intrigued by his talents once he became a free agent after the 2020 season.
Titans tenure
Arguably the biggest area of concern when it comes to Dupree’s Titans tenure has been his inability to stay healthy. Last season, he essentially missed seven full games, while adding another two already this year.
These absences, combined with limited stat production, has made Dupree a polarizing topic. Half the fanbase is already planning for his departure in 2023 while the other half recognizes the obvious difference he makes whenever he steps on the field.
#Titans loaded up the line and attacked the Colts. Jeffery Simmons got credited for the sack. Bud Dupree got a serious rush from the outside and Teair Tart got interior pressure as well. That's 4.5 sacks on the year for Simmons.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 23, 2022
To put it in perspective, in the nine games Dupree has missed since signing with Tennessee, the team has accounted for 18 sacks and 106 pressures.
On the contrary, whenever the team has No. 48 in the starting lineup, the team has recorded a whopping 54 sacks and 236 pressures in 15 games played (playoffs included).
In his return to the #Titans lineup today, Bud Dupree had 8 QB pressures and a sack, mostly lined up against Dennis Kelly
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) October 23, 2022
When you combine these numbers with all of the data I collected from his Pittsburgh years, it’s hard to think this is some kind of fluke.
Conclusion
The one thing this entire fanbase has to stop doing is acting like Dupree isn’t an integral part of this defense.
Is Dupree a perfect pass-rusher? Absolutely not; he definitely has his faults, health being the main issue at the moment.
Nonetheless, there’s no denying the type of impact Dupree makes whenever he’s out there. This is why it’s beyond ridiculous for some to already be penciling in his inevitable departure next season.
Is that possible?
Without question, mainly because of Jeffery Simmons’ massive payday looming, but also because of the return of Harold Landry in 2023, along with the recent emergence of Rashad Weaver. The combination of those three things undoubtedly increases the likelihood of Dupree being gone next year.
But by no means is his departure a lock, nor should anyone even be thinking about any of this right now considering the Georgia native finally looks healthy again. Will he stay healthy is an entirely different question.
Nevertheless, Dupree is coming off an impressive eight-pressure, one-sack performance during his last time out, producing a pass rush win-rate of 28 percent in the process.
Highest pass rush win rates at Edge in Week 7, through the late afternoon window.
Best PRWR games from Ebiketie, Thibodeaux and Hutchinson so far.
(ESPN Analytics / NGS) pic.twitter.com/4NdFqkU2Q1
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 24, 2022
Also, it should be noted that any extension for Simmons is likely to come with a low cap hit during the first year of the deal.
Meaning, the team could easily afford to keep Dupree on the payroll for another year if they feel his impact is more significant than the $10 million they’d save by moving on next season.
This pocket COLLAPSED 😱 @GrindSimmons94 x @Bud_Dupree
📺: Watch #INDvsTEN on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/gnhps0hWzv
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 23, 2022
Obviously, another big injury would probably seal his fate in Tennessee beyond this year, but unless someone reading this has the same future-telling powers that Raven Baxter had in “That’s so Raven”, it’s impossible to know how the rest of the year will end up.
Only time will tell how all this plays out, but patience is exactly how all Titans fans should be approaching this situation. There will be a time to nitpick at Dupree’s contract status, but in October when the guy finally looks healthy again is hardly the time to do it.
