Titans pass rusher Bud Dupree is progressing in his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament tear during the 2020 season. He will help the Titans whenever he gets in the lineup.
Dupree, though, won’t commit to a timeline for his return, saying it’s not his decision.
“Just training hard every day right now, man,” Dupree told NFL Network on Monday. “ACL recovery, rehab, I mean, it’s been one of the most progress [sic] things I have dealt with so far. Each week you see different levels of progress. You see different things change in your body. So I’m working hard to be back as soon as I can, but that’s up to the coaching staff at the end of the day, like when they want me to be on the field and how comfortable they feel with me coming off the injury.”
Dupree had 39.5 sacks during his six seasons with the Steelers, including a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2019. He had eight sacks last season before his knee injury in December.
The Titans signed him to a five-year, $82.5 million deal to help fix their pass rush. They ranked 30th in the NFL with 19 sacks.
Dupree, 28, wants to prove he can do more than just rush the passer, though.
“Anytime you get paid as a pass rusher, you go in and get sacks and make big plays in the run game,” Dupree said. “Be an all-around player. You don’t come in just to be a one-trick pony -- just do pass rusher. You’ve got to be a tone setter on the edge as well, swarming to the ball, stopping the run, involving your teammates, getting everybody hyped up. That’s what it is, man. That excites everybody around you. That’s a big part of the game, in today’s game especially. We’ve got to be tough, be tough as nails. Just go out there and play to our best abilities.”