It has been nine long months since Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Bud Dupree, has stepped foot on an NFL field. A sports hernia injury suffered in April eventually required surgery, which led to his placement on the injured/reserve list.

Dupree was expected to have a largely successful sophomore campaign as one of the Steelers’ starting outside linebackers. His ability as a pass rusher noticeably grew as his rookie season progressed in 2015, and it wouldn’t be long before he was seeing more time on the field in the Steelers’ healthy linebacker rotation.

Hopes were high that sitting out a majority of the preseason would be enough time to make a full recovery. Instead of suiting up for week one, Dupree found himself only able to watch from the sidelines. As the Steelers enter the midway point of the season, it is clear Dupree’s return is essential to the success of the defense.

The Steelers’ outside linebacker corps has been largely ineffective in the past seven weeks. Of the Steelers’ eight sacks this season, outside linebackers account for only 2.5 of them. At this point of the season last year, the outside linebackers tallied a total of eight sacks. The linebacker corps definitely needs an added boost in their ranks.

Where sacks are low in numbers, pressure on opposing quarterbacks in general is virtually nonexistent. Between Jarvis Jones, James Harrison, Anthony Chickillo, and Arthur Moats, the outside linebackers have combined for a total of thirteen quarterback hurries. To draw comparison, Harrison had seventeen QB hurries at the end of 2015. Currently he has a total of two.

After devastating losses to both Miami and New England, the Steelers’ schedule does not get easier going forward. The Steelers still maintain lead of the AFC North, but, with the brunt of their division games occurring in the second half of the season, they must get healthy on defense in a hurry.

Dupree’s return would not cure the outside linebacker corps’ woes automatically, but it would be a step in the right direction for generating pressure on quarterbacks. Harrison is not having the curtain call season many expected him to have, and Chickillo has shown flashes, but has been largely ineffective.

Jones and Moats have been the largest threat to quarterbacks. “Threat” is a very light term to use, though. Down the stretch, Dupree will serve as a fresh set of legs for linebacker coach, Joey Porter, to deploy against offenses. Last year’s first-round round pick will most likely be eased into the starting rotation so that no setbacks occur.

With an injury such as Dupree’s, rehabilitation takes six to twelve weeks for recovery. When there is little to no pain in the inner thigh area, this is a good indication that recovery is going as expected. According to Penn Live’s Jacob Klinger, Dupree “doesn’t want to put a timetable” on his return, but is running and has started on upper and lower-body workouts.

Ideally, the Steelers would like to have Dupree back for their divisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in week nine. If he is added to the active roster later this week or sometime into next week, this will be an indication that they are ready for him to start practicing, and to begin adding him into the linebacker rotation.

In his rookie season, Dupree registered four sacks and eight quarterback pressures on a limited snap count, becoming the starting left outside linebacker in week twelve of last year. If he is able to return next week against Baltimore, he will have nine games to match, or better, his production from last season.

The foolish and misinformed will label Dupree as a bust for missing so much time due to injury, but forget that Steelers’ legend, Greg Lloyd, missed much of the beginning of his career due to a knee injury. Dupree has the chance to prove that his sophomore season is not a complete loss, and that he can battle back from the injury that has hampered him all season.

Bud Dupree was dealt a bad hand to begin the second year of his professional career, but has all the talent in the world to be a threat to offenses for years to come. The Steelers’ ailing pass rush needs him now more than ever, and his services, to the delight of many, will be on their way soon.