AP Photo/Brett Carlsen
After being hampered by his ACL recovery throughout 2021, Dupree should be 100 percent will have another chance to show the Titans and their fans that he was deserving of the massive $82.5 million deal he signed last offseason.
Despite putting up disappointing sack numbers and missing six games, Dupree’s impact was still felt anytime he was on the field.
#Titans pass rush splits with and without Bud Dupree in the lineup (using PFF charting data):
w/o Bud: 90 pressures (12.9/gm) including 14 sacks (2.0/gm) in 7 games
w/ Bud: 170 pressures (17.0/gm) including 35 sacks (3.5/gm) in 10 games
Force multiplier.
— Mike Herndon (@MikeMiracles) January 3, 2022
Dupree’s presence completed the Titans’ dominant front four, which allowed the team to rush the quarterback at a high level without having to blitz. This impact upfront allowed the defense to mask some of the issues they had last year on the backend as well.
As the season progressed and his knee seemingly got stronger, Dupree’s impact began to become more noticeable. Tennessee’s prized free-agent signing produced three sacks and four tackles for loss over his last five outings (including playoffs).
It will be interesting to see if Dupree can pick up where he left off now that he will be fully healthy heading into the 2022 season
