Steelers will “do our best to figure out how” to keep Bud Dupree

[Steely McBeam]

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Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree picked a good time to set career highs in sacks and quarterback hits.

Dupree is set for unrestricted free agency in March and his 11.5 sacks will likely look appealing to teams looking to improve their pass rush off the edge in 2020. That will require Dupree hitting the market and Steelers owner Art Rooney II intimated that’s not a sure thing when discussing the impending free agent this week.

“We’d like to have Bud back, no question about it,” Rooney said, via PennLive.com. “And we’ll do our best to figure out how to make it happen. But we’d like to have him back and I’ll stay optimistic that we’ll be able to figure out how to make it happen.”

Rooney said the franchise tag is a possibility, although the team will have to remove or rework some other salaries in order to make the space for Dupree and create space for other moves. Rooney said it is “always a challenge” to deal with such issues and we’ll see in the coming weeks how the Steelers will manage it this offseason.