Pro Football Rumors
Chargers outside linebacker Bud Dupree signed a two-year extension last June, but his status on their roster is now in question. If Dupree is going to play a third season with the Chargers in 2026, he may have to fend off rookie Nadame Tucker this summer, according to Kris Rihm of ESPN.
Dupree has landed a pair of two-year deals with the Chargers, who first brought in the former Steeler, Titan and Falcon on a $6MM agreement in 2024. While Dupree did not make any starts that year, he played 49.95% of defensive snaps over a full 17-game season, registered 10 quarterback hits and added six sacks.
As part of an edge-rushing group that also included Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and in-season acquisition Odafe Oweh in 2025, Dupree’s snap share dropped to 38.51% in 16 games (five starts). He managed just three QB hits and two sacks, the lowest marks of his 11-year career, and Pro Football Focus ranked his performance a subpar 100th among 119 qualified edge defenders.
The Chargers lost Oweh to the Commanders on a four-year, $100MM contract in free agency, though Mack and Tuipulotu remain in the fold as their best edge defenders. The Bolts replaced Oweh in the draft with the first-round selection of Akheem Mesidor, the 22nd overall pick. Those three are locks for roster spots, while 2025 fourth-rounder Kyle Kennard is still in the mix after an injury-limited, five-game rookie year.
Tucker signed with the Chargers as a 25-year-old undrafted free agent, which suggests he may not be the stiffest competition for Dupree (and perhaps Kennard). However, he arrived with an already strong connection to new Chargers defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary. The two were together last season at Western Michigan, where Tucker feasted on opposing offenses en route to MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. As a major contributor on one of the nation’s highest-ranked defenses, Tucker amassed 55 tackles, 21 TFL and 14.5 sacks over 13 games. The unit as a whole made a dramatic one-year improvement under O’Leary, whom Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh hired in January to replace now-Ravens HC Jesse Minter.
If Tucker continues to impress under O’Leary during training camp and the preseason, it may come at the expense of the 33-year-old Dupree. Releasing Dupree would save the Chargers $2.49MM in cap space at the cost of $1.25MM in dead money.
