The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a tremendous job to start the NFL's new league year by addressing several needs in free agency on both sides of the ball. There has, however, been one glaring need that the organization isn't making any moves to address. TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are really the only two edge rushers whom the team will be able to count on in 2023 as of this moment. The room should look a little different after the 2023 NFL Draft, but it may look different, and even familiar, before then.
Steelers edge rushers, TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith on the field at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA during 2022 training camp. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Highsmith has blossomed into a star and Watt is a big reason why. The presence of the former AP Defensive Player of the Year is enough to make any offensive line worry about what's going over on his side. That has allowed Highsmith to display his capabilities and when both are healthy, it has been a strong one-two punch.
Highsmith, however, wasn't the first one to benefit from Watt's dominance. Former Steelers' edge rusher, Bud Dupree saw numbers skyrocket in 2019 and 2020 when he was on the other side of Watt. His last season in Pittsburgh, he suffered a torn ACL and still had eight sacks in 11 games played.
With Dupree recently being released by the Tennessee Titans after two seasons of battling injuries, he is on the open market and it almost makes too much sense, at the right cost, for Pittsburgh to bring him back. A healthy Dupree with both Watt and Highsmith would be an extremely scary one for opposing offenses.
Steelers 2020 linebackers, Bud Dupree (#48) and TJ Watt (#90) get ready to rush the passer. | Michael Reaves / Getty Images
Former Steelers' offensive lineman, Ramon Foster has a show with DK Pittsburgh Sports and on Tuesday, decided to go directly to the source in Dupree after several outlets have been suggesting the perfect fit for him would be back in Pittsburgh. He texted him live on the show to bring up a return to the Steel City:
"I'm actually going to text him live just to see if we can get a response," Foster said. "I'm going to tell him he's wanted and loved in the city of legends."
Several minutes after, a fan watching asked if Foster had heard back from Dupree. He admitted that he did, but he hinted at the fact that the free agent sent him a 'shhhh' emoji. 🤫 That is all the more reason to believe that he could absolutely be in talks with the Steelers organization and considering a return.
Pittsburgh Steelers former and maybe future outside linebacker, Bud Dupree (#48). | Photo Credit: Matthew Sunday
Steelers May Very Well End Up Reuniting With An Old Friend
The two seasons in Tennessee were tough for Dupree as he only started a total of 17 games and had seven sacks. The Titans ended up releasing him as a cap casualty, but as long as he is letting teams know that he is healthy, Pittsburgh is going to remain one of the top landing spots for him.
The text to Foster could mean nothing at all, or the former Steeler could have been dropping a small hint that coming back to Pittsburgh is well within the realm of possibility. A three-way rotation of Watt, Highsmith and Dupree would have the potential to be deadly and provide even more reason for the defense to be considered one of the league's best heading into the 2023 season.
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