Bud Dupree’s stint with the Titans ended after the first two years of the five-year contract he signed with the team in 2021, but the edge rusher’s underwhelming stint in Tennessee hasn’t dampened his belief in himself.
Dupree signed with the Falcons in April as part of Atlanta’s attempt to infuse their defense with as much new talent as possible. In order for Dupree to make an impact, he’ll need better health after missing 17 games over the last three seasons but he said on Wednesday that those issues aren’t causing him to doubt his ability to help the team win more games this year.
“I’m confident as ever, man, and I’m just trying to ball,” Dupree said, via the team’s website. “I want to put forth the best version of my game, to have my best season this year. But I’m not doing that for me personally. My individual goals, I’ve put them all behind me. Now I’m just here for the team, to put my best foot forward and help this team win.”
The Falcons have a lot of new pieces to integrate on defense along with Dupree and they also have a new defensive coordinator calling the shots in Ryan Nielsen. They’ll be supporting a first-time starting quarterback in Desmond Ridder, so the sooner the pieces come together the better for Atlanta’s chances this season.
