“It’s a contract year for Bud Dupree, and that’s why he’s having his best season.”
If only it were that easy for your average NFL player. Speaking of average, the way people have spoke of Dupree’s abilities in the four-plus years since the Steelers made him their first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, you would think his play as an outside linebacker has been far less than that.
Truth be told, while Dupree’s play was far from elite over his first four seasons, to call him an out-and-out bust—a very popular label placed on the forehead of the Kentucky product before 2019—well, that simply wasn’t true, not with 20 career sacks coming into the year.