Dupree Signing Pegged as 'Overrated'

Pro Football Focus says the Titans' highest-priced free-agent addition was a product of the scheme in Pittsburgh.

Tennessee Titans fans are overjoyed with the addition of outside linebacker Bud Dupree.

Pro Football Focus sees it as one of the most overrated moves of the NFL’s 2021 free agent signing period thus far.

The Titans agreed with Dupree on a five-year, $82.5 million contract early in the legal tampering period. The transaction was formally announced Friday.

At an average of $16.5 million per season, it is the most lucrative contract to this point for any edge rusher who has switched teams this offseason. Shaquil Barrett and Leonard Floyd signed comparable deals to return to Tampa Bay and the L.A. Rams, respectively. Carl Lawson got $15 million to go from Cincinnati to the New York Jets. Barrett, Floyd and Lawson all played at least 15 games in 2020.

Dupree joins the Titans in the wake of a serious knee injury that limited him to 11 games played in 2020, but that is not what PFF considers the primary issue with the deal.

Here is what that website had to say:

Dupree is one of the riskiest bets in the 2021 free-agent class. Before he went down with a torn ACL last December, Dupree was notching sacks left and right. It's an attractive stat that teams will pay up for, as was evident this past week, but not every sack is the same. Dupree saw more than 60% of his pressures in 2020 come courtesy of cleanup or unblocked situations — by far the highest rate at the position — and generated a lowly 61.2 pass-rush grade which ranked 71st among 105 qualifiers.

That's been the story of his career. All but one of Dupree's six NFL seasons ended with him earning a sub-62.0 pass-rush grade. He might boast a high motor, but he doesn't consistently win true one-on-one situations. His departure from Pittsburgh's scheme likely will reveal that.

Dupree, not surprisingly, sees it differently and expects to live up to the terms of the deal.

“If it’s a pile, get in the pile (and) get dirty,” he said. “A guy running the ball? Chase the ball, get down the line of scrimmage and make sure you tackle him behind the line of scrimmage. Never turn down contact. [It’s] just trying to make as many plays as you can without looking around for somebody else to make it.

“… I’m excited to be a part of this team with these guys, coming in just trying to be the best I can be – myself – not only for me, but for them. They deserve it. And I feel like the team deserves it as well.”