Bud Dupree was chosen to be the Steelers one and only player on the injured reserved list that was able to come back and play in the 2016 season. This makes a lot of sense given that he is a first round pick, the team is lacking at outside linebacker and that he is presumably healthy at this point in the season. Dupree was active for the first time in week 11 but only played in eight snaps. So when will Dupree get the full-time reps at outside linebacker, and what can his impact be?
Bud Dupree Expectations
Playing Time
The Steelers come off of their week 11 road trip to Cleveland and head back to the midwest to take on the Indianapolis Colts on a short week. There are two ways to look at managing Dupree’s playing time here. On one hand, the short week means little practice. A little amount of practice for a player who has missed nine weeks means he may not be in game shape or on a schedule that playing much on a Thursday would make sense. On the other hand, the long week off between their week 12 and 13 games would give Dupree the ability to put in a solid snap count, then get that extended break as a way to ease in his conditioning.
Most likely, they will go with the former, though. They can give Dupree a bit of an increase, and it would be smart to see if he can provide a spark on third downs against the inexperienced Scott Tolzien. Still, while the Steelers usually split around 30-40 snaps a piece between four linebackers, expect Dupree to see 15-20 at most.
In week 13, there really should be no excuses. As mentioned, he will have the extended rest to rebound from any bumps and bruises or lack of conditioning that may have occurred in week 12. He should be fully installed into the playbook with at least three full weeks of practice, and he should be set for a full workload for the final five games of this season.
What to expect?
Dupree started the final five games of 2015 as well. He had his ups and downs as a rookie, similarly to what we have seen with Artie Burns. Still, he did finish with four sacks. Of course, he was active for all sixteen games last season, but the four sacks would still currently lead the 2016 Steelers through 11 weeks.
At the same time, the Steelers may be setting up Dupree to do more than just rush the passer. While Dupree got four sacks, two of them were coverage sacks, and one was essentially handed to him by a defensive lineman pushing the quarterback into him. On the edge, he had struggled to beat a man-to-man right tackle and failed to draw any double teams.
The Steelers have made a few shuffles in their defensive scheme, and it could end up as a good fit for Dupree. In the new alignment, the Steelers use one of their outside linebackers off of the ball a lot more and give them a duty such as watching a running back or tight end. Dupree is tested to be an extreme athlete for his size, and while bull rushing may not be his best attribute, having range and athleticism is.
Change in role?
Jarvis Jones has spent a lot more time playing off of the ball and in coverage than he has in years past. However, in week 11 he was benched in favor of a pure pass rusher in James Harrison. While the two essentially split snaps, Jones spent nine rushing the passer, and Anthony Chickillo saw rotational snaps on the right side, where Jones and Harrison typically rotate. Chickillo has played off of the ball some in his stint as a starter, but there is a chance that the Steelers will look to rotate him on either end to consistently utilize him as a pass rusher.
They may also use Dupree more off the ball to not only play defense in space but also rush the passer in a variety of ways off of the edge. He would essentially serve as a strong side linebacker in a 4-3 base defense. The Atlanta Falcons made a very similar move with their 2015 first round pick, Vic Beasley. Beasley, just like Dupree, had four sacks in his rookie year. He currently sits at 9.5 sacks in 11 games due to the variety of ways he can get pressure, and the Falcons can align their defense around him. It seems to be working just fine for Beasley in Atlanta and could open the door to success in the NFL for the second-year Bud Dupree.
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