Top five free agents Seahawks should sign this offseason

Edge rusher Bud Dupree

I do not expect Bud Dupree to come to Seattle and get 12 sacks. But he can be a valuable edge rusher and Seattle still doesn’t have enough of them. Would Dupree likely need to get paid near $10 million? Yes. But edge rushers are paid a premium because they have high value to a defense and the Seahawks need to add more disruption to be an even better defense in 2021.

Dupree comes from a Steelers system that allowed him to be at his best. He had 8 sacks in 11 games in 2020 and 11.6 sacks in 2019. There is one important thing to notice, however. While Dupree did get those sacks, he also had 15 quarterback hits in 2020 and 17 in 2019. This means the times Dupree got hits that he also got home and took down the opposing quarterbacks.

This likely means Dupree’s production is more a result of scheme than just sheer talent. This is why I don’t expect Dupree to have 12 sacks for the Seahawks in 2021 if they sign him. But here’s the important part. Teams will still have to account for him.

If Seattle keeps Carlos Dunlap and Jarran Reed and other players, like Darrell Taylor and L.J. Collier develop, then Dupree will add to a rotation that will change the outcomes of games. He might cost near $9 million a season, and Seattle will have to release or trade or restructure deals for Dupree to be signed. But even if Dupree isn’t signed, Seattle still has to release or trade some players.