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The Pittsburgh Steelers built one of the NFL’s most disruptive defenses in 2020, but the group never reached the postseason at full strength. Bud Dupree believes the knee injury that ended his season did more than weaken Pittsburgh’s pass rush. In his mind, it also changed the course of his career and prevented him from remaining with the franchise that drafted him.
Pittsburgh selected Dupree in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and waited several years for his physical tools to become consistent production. The breakthrough finally arrived in 2019, when he recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks and established himself as the ideal partner for TJ Watt. The Steelers used the franchise tag to keep him for 2020, giving the defense another season with one of the league’s most dangerous edge combinations.
The decision appeared to be paying off. Pittsburgh opened the 2020 season with 11 consecutive victories, while Dupree recorded 8 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, and 2 forced fumbles through 11 games. Watt attacked from one side, Dupree pressured from the other, and Cameron Heyward created problems through the middle.
Dupree recently looked back on that stretch during a recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. The former Steelers outside linebacker remembered how difficult the defense had become to handle before everything changed.
“We was going crazy that year,” Dupree said.
The description is short, but it captures how overwhelming Pittsburgh looked at its best. The Steelers could rush with four, manufacture pressure through disguise and force quarterbacks to move before routes developed. Watt and Dupree benefited from the attention Heyward commanded inside, while the coverage behind them gave the rush additional time to reach the quarterback.
Their chemistry mattered just as much as the individual production. Watt knew Dupree would keep quarterbacks from escaping comfortably in the opposite direction. Dupree knew protection could not slide toward him without creating opportunities elsewhere. Pittsburgh had invested years in building the pair, and the results were finally matching the plan.
The entire picture changed late in a 19-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Dupree suffered a torn ACL on a noncontact play and was lost for the remainder of the season. Pittsburgh reached 11-0 that day, but the defense had suddenly lost a starting edge rusher who was playing some of the best football of his career.
The Steelers still finished the regular season with 56 sacks, but replacing Dupree required a major adjustment. Rookie Alex Highsmith moved into a larger role much earlier than expected. Highsmith eventually developed into a long-term starter, but asking a first-year player to replace Dupree during a championship push changed the rotation immediately.
The injury also arrived at the worst possible time for Dupree’s future. He was playing on the franchise tag and approaching unrestricted free agency. Finishing the season healthy could have given Pittsburgh a stronger reason to build a long-term deal around the Watt-Dupree combination. Instead, the organization had to evaluate a major contract while Dupree was beginning a lengthy rehabilitation.
Watt’s own future added another complication. Pittsburgh knew its younger superstar would soon require a record-setting extension, and every major defensive commitment had to be considered alongside that negotiation. The Steelers also had Highsmith waiting behind Dupree after using a third-round pick on him months earlier.
Still, Dupree does not sound uncertain about what would have happened without the injury. Heyward asked whether finishing the 2020 season would have kept him in Pittsburgh, and Dupree answered directly.
“Do you think you’d still be in Pittsburgh if you were able to finish out that year?” Heyward asked. “Yeah, I for sure would, man,” Dupree said.
Dupree eventually signed a lucrative deal with the Tennessee Titans, while the Steelers moved forward with Watt and Highsmith. The decision made financial and roster-building sense by the time free agency arrived, but Dupree’s answer shows how differently he believes the conversation could have unfolded.
Pittsburgh understood how important that partnership had become. Watt missed Dupree immediately after the injury, and the connection remained obvious even after the two stopped sharing the field. They had developed at the same time and helped restore the type of outside pressure Pittsburgh’s defense had lacked.
Steelers’ 2020 Defense Still Carries A Massive What-If
Dupree’s injury did not single-handedly end Pittsburgh’s season. The offense became less efficient, injuries accumulated and the Steelers lost four of their final five games, including the playoff defeat. However, removing an 8-sack edge rusher from a defense built around pressure made every other problem harder to overcome.
A healthy Dupree could have kept the rotation deeper, reduced the burden on Watt and allowed Highsmith to develop without immediately becoming a starter. Pittsburgh may still have fallen short, but its best defensive lineup would have had an opportunity to finish what it started.
The contract question may be even more difficult to settle. Pittsburgh still needed to pay Watt, and Highsmith still represented a cheaper replacement. Dupree’s ACL tear did not create every obstacle to a new deal. It did remove his chance to finish a career season and force the organization into a much harder decision.
Years later, Dupree still views that moment as the dividing line. Before the injury, he was a productive starter on an undefeated team with a clear role opposite one of the league’s best defenders. After it, he became an injured free agent entering an uncertain market while Pittsburgh prepared for its next major contract.
The Steelers eventually found another strong pairing with Watt and Highsmith. That does not erase the question surrounding the group that came before it. Dupree believes he would have remained in Pittsburgh, and the way that defense was playing makes the possibility difficult to dismiss.
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