Las Vegas Raiders: 10 free agents that could help the pass rush

OLB Bud Dupree

Bud Dupree was on pace for a career year in 2020 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he had eight sacks in just 11 games before a knee injury cut his season short. Dupree tore his ACL in December in a non-contact injury and was possibly one of the casualties of the Steelers’ condensed schedule as a result of a series of COVID outbreaks on other teams.

Dupree was becoming one of the premier sack artists in the NFL, as he was on pace for besting his career-high of 11.5 sacks in 2020 before the injury. To add further insult to the injury, Dupree was playing for Pittsburgh under the franchise tag after the two parties could not come to an agreement on a long-term deal before the season.

An ACL injury is not what it used to be in terms of the long-term effect on a player’s productivity, but it does raise some questions about what Dupree’s current value is and what he is looking for on the open market. The injury allows the Raiders to possibly buy low on a player that has 39.5 sacks in 81 games but also gives the Steelers a chance to bring him back on a low-cost deal.

Given that they could not agree on a deal when he was healthy, the chances of him returning to Pittsburgh are low, and the Raiders need to be all over Dupree this offseason. The soon to be 28-year old would be an immediate upgrade for the Raiders at defensive end, and also at linebacker in certain defensive packages.

The Raiders need a player like Dupree on their roster if they hope to turn around the defense in 2021.