As the Los Angeles Chargers prepare to enter training camp in late July, there's no veteran with more to lose than 12th-year edge rusher Bud Dupree.
In 2025, the Chargers' mid-season trade for Odafe Oweh was an acknowledgement that their depth behind Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu was insufficient, especially when Mack went down with an arm injury early in the season. Their selection of Akheem Mesidor at 22nd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft served as another clear acknowledgement of that fact.
Now, with Mack, Tuipulotu, and Mesidor clearly solidifed as the Chargers' top three edge rushers, UDFA Nadame Tucker will be pushing to displace either Dupree or second-year defender Kyle Kennard. Los Angeles would save nearly $2.5 million against the cap if they were to cut Dupree this offseason.
As of now, it seems as though Dupree is at a disadvantage given the draft pedigree of Kennard and Tucker's relationship with new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary. But as the competition heats up, Dupree retains a sneaky advantage— his extensive résumé as a run defender off the edge.
Bud Dupree is the most likely Chargers cut candidate on the defense, but his run-defending abilities could represent a lifeline
Dupree's production numbers don't necessarily exemplify this, but there's a reason he was utilized so heavily as an additional edge rusher last season. He saw 41% of the Chargers' defensive snaps, and he amassed 12 stops in that span, per Pro Football Focus.
His veteran leadership is one thing, and there's a case to be made that he's a valuable presence based on that alone. But he also has an extensive pedigree as a capable run defender— something that his competitors do not.
Kennard saw just 80 defensive snaps as a rookie, so we'll need to turn back the tape to get a clear picture here. But as South Carolina, he was seen as more of a pure edge rusher. Lance Zierlein's scouting report for NFL.com characterizes him as a slippery and quick defender but states that he lacks the requisite strength to set the edge or truly get more staunch tackles off balance.
Tucker, who was highly productive under O'Leary at Western Michigan last season, faces similar problems. He was a pressure machine in O'Leary's blitz-heavy defense, but he lacks the strength and the experience to truly set the edge against the run, especially at the NFL level.
With a combination of Mack, Tuipulotu, and Mesidor, the starting pass-rush production, either against the pass or the run, shouldn't be an issue. But when determining how to dole out the remainder of the roster spots in the edge rusher room, Dupree's pedigree and run-stopping abilities could be a real consideration.
He's not an elite run-stopper at this point in his career, or even a remarkably consistent one. But that's something the Chargers need off the edge, and he has a better chance to provide it than either Kennard or Tucker at this juncture.
The only question is whether that will be enough to help him cling to a roster spot in 2026.
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