Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Bud Dupree had a disappointing first season in Nashville, but believes better days are ahead for him.
Dupree signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal last offseason but saw a setback to his surgically-repaired knee and an abdominal injury limit him to 11 games (six starts) in 2021.
And Dupree wasn’t very productive when on the field, as he tallied just three sacks, 17 combined tackles, one pass defended and one forced fumble.
It’s always important to note that Dupree was coming off a torn ACL from the season prior, and sometimes players coming off such an injury aren’t themselves in the first year.
While Dupree acknowledged that can be the case, he said there are “no excuses” for his lackluster campaign, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“At the end of the (2021) season I started to feel good, but they always say after the ACL, that second season is when you start to feel all the way back,” Dupree said. “So, I am looking forward to that. But at the end of the day there is no excuses. Once you go on the field you have to get stuff done, fight through injuries, people go through that all the time. I will make sure (next) year I am as healthy as I’ve ever been and keep going.”
It is true that Dupree looked better as the season wore on, something outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow confirmed. Two of Dupree’s three sacks came in the final four games of the regular season, and he added another in the postseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Dupree compared his 2021 campaign to that of his second season in the NFL, which he spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dupree was limited to seven games that season due to injury.
“This (2021) season reminds me of my second year in the league, when I had a sports hernia and missed like 10 games,” Dupree said. “Battling through stuff … you get through it and the next year you come back strong. I have to take this offseason and make sure everything is at its highest ability when I come in Day 1, there is no setbacks and nothing to get right and everything would be in a mode to turn up.”
Looking ahead, Dupree says he’s focused on the positives. He heaped praise on the organization itself, and the city of Nashville.
“You have to look at the positive side of things, and you just have to keep grinding,” Dupree said. “The city of Nashville is lit, I would definitely say that. I did not know anything about Nashville (before I got here).
“(And) the organization, there’s a lot of different things I didn’t know about. It’s a family family-oriented organization, and guys really look out for one another. The players are very close-knit, the guys are really looking to know one another outside of football, outside the building, which plays a big part when you are going to battle with your brothers on the field and that is always a plus.”
Unfortunately, Dupree ran into legal trouble off the field back in January after getting into a physical altercation at a Nashville Walgreens.
The 29-year-old recently turned himself in on a misdemeanor assault charge and has a court date set for April 22. This is certainly a situation to monitor, as Dupree could potentially face a punishment from the league.
