Bud Dupree‘s recent visit with the Chargers has produced an agreement. The veteran edge rusher has signed a deal with Los Angeles, his agency announced on Saturday. 
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports this two-year agreement has a base value of $6MM. The pact can reach a maximum of $10MM, he adds. Dupree had a few other suitors, something which no doubt helped his leverage in negotiations with Los Angeles.
The former Steeler and Falcon was reported to be on both Pittsburgh and Atlanta’s radar when news of his Chargers visit came out earlier this week. Rather than returning to one of his old teams, the 31-year-old will head to a new environment this season. Dupree will provide the Bolts with another veteran presence off the edge to complement Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
Both Bosa and Mack agreed to restructures this offseason to remain in the fold for 2024. The period leading up to free agency required new general manager Joe Hortiz to make a number of cost-cutting moves to achieve cap compliance. Efforts on that front were ultimately punctuated by the release of Mike Williams and the trade sending fellow wideout Keenan Allen to the Bears after talks on a new contract did yield a resolution. Those moves paved the way for the Bosa-Mack pairing to remain intact atop the depth chart.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes a return to the Steelers was a “strong consideration” on Dupree’s part. Pittsburgh already has T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in place as starters along the edge, something which would have limited Dupree’s usage in Pittsburgh. In Los Angeles, that same issue could arise if Bosa and Mack remain healthy, something the former has had an issue with over each of the past two years.
Los Angeles ranked sixth in the league in sacks last season (48), faring far better in that regard than Atlanta did. The Falcons relied on Dupree as a key member of their edge contingent, and he tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5. His running mate in that regard – Calais Campbell – remains unsigned. Dupree’s 2023 performance represented his most productive one since 2020, his last season with the Steelers.
The former first-rounder faced major expectations with the Titans following his Pittsburgh stint. Dupree underwhelmed in Tennessee, however, recording just seven sacks in two years with the team. That led to his release and a one-year, $3MM Falcons deal last offseason. Dupree has now parlayed his bounce-back campaign into a multi-year Chargers pact.
Interesting. You’d think that, with two veteran edge starters, the Chargers would go with a developmental prospect behind them. Is Dupree expected to take over next year at one spot? It’s not bad necessarily, but it’s interesting to me.
It’s actually a good move given the fact that Bosa always seems to end up on the shelf and if all three of them, Mack, Bosa and Dupree, are in the game at the same time It gives the Chargers a very legit pass rush and headaches for opposing teams…6 million as a base for two years plus another 4 million if Dupree hits his numbers is a low risk high reward type of deal in my opinion.
@3 finger spilt was questioning it, but it does make a lot of sense especially a two year deal, because it’s possible mack and bosa will be gone next year. Hopefully ben Herbert can keep him healthy but I have a feeling if he has a bounce back year he will be traded.
That headline tricked my eyes. I read it as “OLD Bud Dupree,” which may more accurately describe his career over the past three years.
Bud is one of those guys who IMO gets unfairly judged solely on sack numbers. He’s always been an excellent run defender. And other than that one year in Pittsburgh he seems to get an adequate number of QB pressures, but just doesn’t convert enough into sacks. The sack numbers aren’t gaudy but the effort is always there from Bud. I hope he does well in LA, I like the idea of his being the top backup for two stud pass rushers.
Well, he used to overrun the quarterback a lot early in his career, because Dupree isn’t super bendy and like rush outside-or, at least, he used to. The tackle would push him that way and he would get stuck being pushed out of his rush lane. In Watt’s first year, if I remember correctly, Dupree became much more controlled and patient in his pass rush. He worked in a few more moves and didn’t overrun as much on his outside attack. Having a great bookend on the other side helped, of course, but Dupree looked like he got more consistent on his end. I agree that, while he’s not an elite defender, he did get unfairly judged on his early years. It took a little while to make it click, but he’s been a decent defender overall.
Everything you said is accurate. Having better bookends helped, but Bud also put the work in to improve and it showed.
For Dupree, Free Agency has made BUD WISER !!