Bud Dupree knew he had to deliver this season as he heads into free agency in the coming offseason. His 2019 has been a solid showing through six games with 24 tackles — five for a loss — and three sacks. But it's not just his production that's been good to see, it's how he's getting the job done.
Let's take a closer look at how he's being a tough and disciplined edge player in Keith Butler's defense:
Plenty of hype was built into Dupree's offseason. He was noted to have improved his strength when Hunter Homistek reported he broke a punch shield in training, said he wasn't feeling any pressure on his year, and received praise from Dale Lolley when he gave an inside look at how he was being used in training camp.
That hype has delivered so far. He's already halfway to six sacks, his career high for a season, and has become a major asset to the Steelers' run defense.
Part of that has been improved upper body strength and striking power with his hands. Dupree has always been extremely athletic and a threat to work quickly around opponents to win in space. But to make the next step he had to overpower more opponents at the point of attack and win with sharper attack angles.
He's doing that now. Watch how he takes on Greg Kittle, superstar tight end for the 49ers. He explodes with his hands inside of Kittle's frame, maintaining a lower center of gravity to stand Kittle up. Once he diagnoses the run play, which the 49ers did a good job setting up, he sheds Kittle quickly and tackles Raheem Mostert for just a three yard gain:
Dupree's making a lot of plays that highlight both his explosiveness and a higher attention to detail than we've seen in past years. He played a big role in Minkah Fitzpatrick's first interception with the Steelers when he rushed Jimmy Garoppolo and forced an early throw.
But it's not just the rush, it's how he maintained gap integrity during the play and applied heat. The 49ers call play-action with a trap block, pulling their right guard to block Terrell Edmunds. Because Edmunds rushes outside of Dupree, Bud's responsibility is C-gap, just outside of tackle Justin Skule.
Off the snap Dupree gets in Skule's hip pocket as the offensive line uses a collective right reach to give the impression of a run. But as soon as Dupree recognizes it's play action he jumps past Skule and pressures Garoppolo, forcing the throw:
If the 49ers were running the ball there, Dupree most likely would've blown up the play. The fact he was in position to play both options and still made a solid play is a big sign of improvement.
He's definitely tightened up his game on all fronts, and especially as an edge rusher. Plenty of Dupree's sacks in previous seasons came from stunts that designed open lanes for him, but he's applied pressure through a variety of ways this season.
His sack that forced a fumble against the Bengals ended a good drive by Andy Dalton. And it came off a good edge rush where he ripped through the hands of tackle Andre Smith. Watch how Dupree's explosiveness beats Smith, but because he rips through Smith's hands, he has a sharper angle to Dalton, and strips the ball for a huge turnover:
There's no doubt Dupree has been better across the board. If this trend continues, he will demand a higher asking price in free agency than most would've predicted. He still needs to finish strong and end up with at least eight sacks to show he's truly turned a corner.
In the meantime, the Steelers have seen a welcomed boost off the edge, both against the run and the pass, from their 2015 first-round pick.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers practice, Rooney Sports Complex, Oct. 23, 2019 -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPSCarter’s Classroom needs your help! We are seeking sponsors for the 2019 NFL season that would be willing to see their brand grow through advertising with us. All interested parties should contact me at christopher@dkpittsburghsports.com.
MORE CLASSROOM
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Oct. 18: Tackling Bush’s tackling
