I've already made the case for Bud Dupree to stay with the Steelers and why he should be signed with the team based off of his play alone. But today I wanted to look at the what that potential could mean on a broader scale for the Steelers' 2020 campaign.
It's rare to lead the NFL in sacks and turnovers, but the Steelers did that in 2019 with 54 sacks and 38 forced turnovers. But the Steelers' front poses a threat to not only repeat at leading in turnovers for a second straight year, or just leading the NFL in sacks for a fourth straight year, but also being the best defense in the NFL.
Letting Dupree go in the offseason would remove an explosive pass rusher who's learned to contain that explosiveness and combine it with better technique in shorter spaces to win matchups more consistently. That's why he recorded 11.5 sacks in 2019 and was a real problem for any tackle who didn't show great mechanics in their drop steps and hand engagement.
Remember his game-changing forced fumble of Andy Dalton early in the season? It was a prime example of the explosiveness off the ball the Steelers have seen in Dupree for years. But it was finally combined with the proper pursuit angle and quick but accurate hand play from Dupree to slap down his opponents arms and open up the backfield for the sack:
Dupree's emergence will make him a player teams have to focus on in preparation. Any time you have a player that can cause headaches for offenses and coaches during their preparation, you need to keep that player. Dupree is becoming that guy, which is why keeping him should be the team's priority.
But combine that with the fact that Dupree is a serious concern, and there are still two first team All-Pro players he lines up with as starters. T.J. Watt is a more consistent edge rusher and Cam Heyward is the face of the defense. Both are wrecking balls that use a controlled violence to their game that force offensive linemen to honor multiple threats, and maximize their abilities.
Watch this shared sack where they met with Dalton, as Watt uses a stutter step with his inside hand to anchor his way around the edge, and Heyward bullies his way through A-gap:
The crazy thing about the dominance displayed by this defensive front is that it barely got a chance to fire on all cylinders in 2019. That's because it lost Stephon Tuitt at the onset of its sixth game. Tuitt had 3.5 sacks in five games and was looking like he would be the team's MVP before going out for the season on the fifth play against the Chargers.
Tuitt took advantage of his one-on-one chances and dominated in the few games he had in 2019. Watch how he dispatches the right tackle and barrels down onto Jimmy Garroppolo. Tuitt was combining his best display of hand usage and footwork along with the best shape we've seen him in as a Steeler:
And even when Tuitt wasn't being a wrecking ball, he was forcing offensive lines to overcompensate to stop him, opening opportunities for others. Watch how this double team opened up an easy path for a sack by Devin Bush:
The return of both a signed Dupree and a healthy Tuitt would give the Steelers a legitimate chance of having the NFL's undisputed most dominant front four. Even when Tuitt was wrecking shop in 2019, Heyward didn't come along to his best self until the middle of the season, and by the Tuitt was hurt.
Imagine the damage that could be done with a full year of health from this group. Now imagine them not having to be on the field 70 plays a game because of an offense led by an undrafted rookie that commits turnovers and three-and-outs on a regular basis.
Yeah, that make for a legendary group. The Steelers know that, which is why they'll keep Dupree and make sure it has a chance of happening in 2020.
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