One overrated player on each Jaguars AFC South rival in 2022
No. 2 overrated Jaguars AFC South Rival: Bud Dupree, LB – Titans
Quarterback is the most important position and edge rushers are arguably the second-best. That’s why the Tennessee Titans gave former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree a five-year contract worth $85 million last offseason. While it might be too early to pan the deal, his production in his first year in Nashville wasn’t on par with his salary.
Dupree appeared in 11 games with six starts and recorded three sacks, 17 total tackles, and two total tackles in 2021. He tore his ACL the year before and might have gotten back on the football field sooner than he should have. He certainly believes so.
The signing made sense on paper, and even former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum saw Dupree as an under-the-radar player last offseson. After all, the pass rusher logged eight sacks before getting hurt in 2020 and 11.5 the year before.
A first-round pick in the 2015 draft by the Steelers, Dupree took a bit to find his footing in the NFL, amassing 20 sacks and two forced fumbles in his first four years in the league. The former Kentucky Wildcat says he’s now fully recovered from the ACL and is now focused on sharpening the fundamentals. It’s possible that he will bounce back in 2022 and give Tennessee another pass rusher opposite Harold Landry. But there’s no doubt his first year in Titans uniform was underwhelming.