Add linebacker Bud Dupree to the list of players with franchise tags.
The Steelers announced that they applied the tag to Dupree on Monday morning. There’s a noon deadline for teams to use franchise or transition tags.
Dupree was a 2015 first-round pick in Pittsburgh and set career highs with 68 tackles, 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during the 2019 season. That led head coach Mike Tomlin and others in the organization to call keeping Dupree on hand a priority.
Using the tag should ensure that he remains on hand for at least one more year. The two sides have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal and Dupree would be set to make a salary in the neighborhood of $16 million if he plays out the year under the tag.