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The hopes of a reunion of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Bud Dupree have been dashed. But that hasn’t stopped Dupree from reaching out to his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate with words of encouragement.
Highsmith was tasked with filling Dupree’s big cleats when an ACL tear sidelined him for the latter part of the 2020 season. That role became permanent when the Steelers let Dupree walk in free agency that following spring. He signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 15, 2021, and recently with the Atlanta Falcons on April 14, 2023.
Former Steelers tackle Ramon Foster believes that a deal fizzling out with Dupree works to Highsmith’s advantage. “Bud was of the mindset that he was a security blanket for Alex too, meaning that as players they can negotiate against you as one to another,” he explained on The Ramon Foster Show. “Bud is older, Bud becomes more productive, guess what Alex we don’t have to sign you for this, we got Bud.”
Highsmith was in favor of Dupree joining him and Watt in Pittsburgh. And why wouldn’t he? Given his cleared medicals, he would’ve been a reliable contributor who could come in and immediately make an impact by allowing Watt and Highsmith a blow.
“If that were to happen, it would be a three-headed monster for sure,” Highsmith said on the March 8 House of Yinzer podcast of T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and himself playing together again. “When he was here, my locker was actually right next to his, so that was pretty cool. Him and T.J., both of them were just very helpful in bringing me up my rookie year and just helping me to get better.”
Bud Dupree Sends Message to Steelers’ Alex Highsmith
Knowing that Alex Highsmith is entering the final year of his rookie contract, Bud Dupree reached out to him with three simple words of encouragement: “Go kill it.”
That should be fairly easy to do. All Highsmith needs to do is ride the momentum from his career 2022 season.
A third-round pick and former UNC-Charlotte walk-on, Highsmith has been a pleasant surprise. He came on slow with 48 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 16 games (five starts) as a rookie in 2020. The following season, he logged 74 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He stepped it up in a big way in 2022. He enjoyed the first three-sack game of his young career in Week 1 versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
While less disruptive with T.J. Watt sidelined, Highsmith still contributed 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, a defended pass and one forced fumble in those seven weeks. He finished out the season with 63 tackles (12 for loss), 20 QB hits and 14.5 sacks. Those 14.5 sacks were good for fifth in the NFL and five forced fumbles second, according to Pro Football Focus.
Now he needs to continue his trajectory to earn that lucrative contract from the Pittsburgh Steelers — which is certainly something he wants. “I love being here, being part of this team,” Highsmith said. “This organization is amazing, being part of the defense is amazing and the fans are awesome. Mr. [Art] Rooney [II], Omar [Khan], coach [Mike] Tomlin — he’s one of the best coaches I’ve had. It’s just awesome being able to play for him.”
“We’ll see you know. God’s got a plan with it all. I’ll trust in him the whole way. But I do love it here and I love the fans — Steelers Nation as a whole is great.