The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that linebacker Bud Dupree has been added to the injured reserve list after having surgery to repair a groin tear.
However, Dupree wasn’t added to the season-ending injured reserve list. After six regular season weeks, Dupree could come back, if healthy. Dupree has not played once this NFL preseason.
Dupree was the Steelers first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, with the 22nd overall pick. Dupree appeared in all 16 regular season games last year, starting five games, recording 26 tackles. Dupree also had four sacks and one pass deflection.
Taking the place of Dupree on the 53-man roster is Steven Johnson. The Steelers signed Johnson in the offseason, but cut him due to slimming down the roster. However, with Dupree’s spot open, at least for now, Johnson made a reappearance on the roster.
Even with Dupree being sent to the injured reserve, all hope isn’t lost for the Steelers’ linebacking crew. The Steelers still have top linebackers in Lawrence Timmons, James Harrison, Ryan Shazier, Jarvis Jones and Arthur Moats. Harrison is enough to scare opposing quarterbacks, and Timmons always remains consistent.
While the loss of Dupree is fairly significant, the Steelers have the guys to replace him for at least six weeks or even beyond.
