Lolley's 10 Thoughts: Dupree shows a spark ☕

Bud Dupree.

They're two words, one name, strung together that elicit all kinds of emotions from Steelers fans -- many of them negative.

But we were given a glimpse of what the Steelers saw when they used a first-round pick, the 22nd overall, in the 2015 draft on the big outside linebacker in Saturday night's 17-7 preseason win over the Chiefs at Heinz Field.

Playing in the first half opposite T.J. Watt, a Pro Bowl player at the same position in just his second season a year ago, Dupree had three tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass defended against the Chiefs.

They were the kind of plays that have been too few and too far between for Dupree in his first four seasons, when he's recorded 20 sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles in 54 career games. That's not Jarvis Jones-like bust territory as some would lead you to believe, but it's also not up to snuff for a player the Steelers are paying $9.2 million this season after picking up his fifth-year option.

Working against left tackle and former No. 1-overall pick Eric Fisher on his first sack, Dupree moved in tandem with Cam Heyward on a stunt that confused the Chiefs' first-team offensive line for a sack of Patrick Mahomes on third down to get the Steelers off the field. Then, on his second sack, he blew around former Browns' No. 1 pick Cameron Erving, shed him with good hand usage and took out backup quarterback Chad Henne.

"I think Bud has grown a lot. I look forward to seeing it in the regular season," Heyward told me. "He was very physical in his rush. I thought he had a plan throughout the entire game, whether it was a speed rush that turned into an inside stunt. If you can keep an offensive linemen off guard and he’s not just expecting a speed rush, he can be very good."

Perhaps more importantly, we saw a glimpse of Dupree showing some growth in terms of his instincts:

On this play, he and Watt work in tandem to shut down a third-down play on the first snap of the second quarter. Watt comes in with immediate pressure as the Chiefs are attempting to set up a screen. Dupree recognizes what the Chiefs are trying to do and sheds the tackle, getting his hands up into the passing lane to break up the pass.

"I think we want to be special players," Watt said. "I think as outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense, we’re expected to set the tone for splash plays. We can affect the game on every play, whether it’s the run or a pass play. It’s getting our hands up or punching balls out on ball carriers, getting sacks, pressures. You can see all of the hard work we’ve been putting in. It paid off tonight. We were around the quarterback a lot. We smelled blood in the water and we were getting after him good. It’s just the beginning."

The Steelers hope so. If Dupree can finally realize his immense talent, it would be a big boon for this defense. There aren't many people on the planet who are 6 foot 4 and 270 pounds and run a 4.56-second 40-yard dash, as Dupree did at the NFL Scouting Combine back in 2015.

But for all of that athletic talent, what has been lacking for Dupree has been a true feel for the game. At 26, maybe he's starting to get that.

Coupling that with Watt, who had 13 sacks and six forced fumbles last season, could help turn the Steelers defense from an average unit into one of the top groups in the league.

Having two bookend outside linebackers was the foundation on which the Steelers' defense was built when it was ranking at the top of the league year in and year out.

The Steelers know what they have in Watt. Getting a similar kind of campaign out of Dupree would help catapult this defense to being special.

And he's got plenty of reasons to want to get there. Even average to above-average edge rushers on the free agent market last year got far more money than the $9.2 million the Steelers are paying Dupree this season.

"I thought they brought great energy," Mike Tomlin said. "I thought they were very productive. It was a good representation of them."

On a night in which one of their top draft picks at linebacker, Devin Bush, didn't play because of an undisclosed injury, it was nice to see a former first-round pick at the position show up and do well.

• On the subject of players who look ready to make a big leap forward, it's easy for some to look at Dupree and say they want to be shown more before they'll believe.

But if Terrell Edmunds isn't piquing your interest, you haven't been paying attention.

Edmunds was active in last week's 30-28 win over the Buccaneers in the preseason opener, breaking up a potential touchdown pass. In this one, he made another splash play, shooting in from behind running back Carlos Hyde and forcing a fumble.

"He’s much more vocal. He’s more confident," free safety Sean Davis told me. "That just comes with the repetition, and being out there and knowing he can make plays. He’s not the young guy on the field any more. I’m definitely seeing a difference and loving the improvement. I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship with him."

Davis fell on that loose ball to end Kansas City's second possession.

Davis missed last week's preseason opener as he continued to recover from a dislocated finger that tore through the skin on his hand, but he's looking forward to more of the same from his fellow safety this season.

"There we go. Working hand in hand," he told me.

• If it sounds like the Steelers are a tight group, it's because they are. Being one of the few teams that still goes away to training camp will do that.

So will going through an offseason of outside attacks by a former teammate who quit on the group. And then there was the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake last Sunday.

"Man, ever since OTAs, the vibe is in the air," said running back James Conner. "I was talking with Steve Nelson and he was like... it wasn’t like this in the other places he’s been. The offense is close with the defense and everybody has a real good chemistry. We just broke training camp and us being out there in the dorms together and eating together, being out there brings us closer together ..."

It's not just lip service. This team really does seem close -- more so than even other Steelers teams I've been around. And that's saying something.

We won't know for a few months if that will add up to more wins this season than last, but it sure can't hurt.

• The first-team defense came away from this one feeling pretty good about itself.

After all, this was a Chiefs offense that hung 40 on just about everyone -- including the Steelers -- last season.

Sure, it was the preseason. And sure, the Chiefs weren't specifically game planning for this one -- neither were the Steelers, for that matter. But that was Mahomes out there on the field. With Tyreek Hill. And Travis Kelce. And Sammy Watkins. And, well, you get the idea.

The net result of that was two possessions, two first downs and no points allowed.

"I thought our back end played very good," Heyward told me. "You think about all the different stuff they do. I’m sure they held back some, but it’s a good step for us. That is a very good offense over there with a lot of different weapons. You have to make sure you match up well. I thought our communication was good, not great. We gave up one QB run up the middle we can correct, but it’s a good start."

• Rookie receiver Diontae Johnson got his first taste of the preseason. And there was a lot of good, but also some bad.

Johnson muffed a punt in the first half, but recovered his own miscue. That won't help him knock off Ryan Switzer for that job. And it still is Switzer's job to lose, despite Diontae Spencer showing some pop there again with a 38-yard return in this game.

Johnson also was called for a ticky-tacky pass interference penalty on what should have been a touchdown catch from Josh Dobbs. Tomlin tried to challenge the play, but it went to a booth challenge instead and was upheld.

"They are going to call what they’re going to call. I go out and play football," Johnson said. "I worry about what I can do and what I can control."

What Johnson could control was the sweet move he put on cornerback Herb Miller for this fourth quarter touchdown pass from Devlin Hodges:

That's out, up and gone. And if Hodges throws that ball deeper, it's a running catch in the end zone. Instead, Johnson got to show he could make a nice adjustment to the ball in the air.

It was a good first start for Johnson, whom Drake pounded the table for on draft day, prompting the Steelers to take him with the first of their two third-round picks.

"It wasn’t hard for me to focus at all," Johnson said when I asked him if he had an issue with that, considering the team held a moment of silence for Drake and wore helmet decals to honor him.

"He was with me there for every play."

Johnson has missed time off and on throughout training camp and OTAs with an assortment of injuries. But he showed why the Steelers, and Drake in particular, showed so much faith in the unheralded rookie out of Toledo.

"It’s just staying on top of my body and making sure I’m healthy," Johnson said of the injuries. "It’s not slowing me down at all. I’m still learning. It’s not slowing me down at all."

• Another rookie who had something to prove after last week was running back Benny Snell. Last week against the Bucs, Snell had just 26 yards on 13 carries and looked a step slow.

But he had a better showing in this game, making another big special teams tackle -- this one on a punt return after getting a kick-return tackle last week -- and making a first-down run in a fourth-down situation. But he also only had 16 yards on seven carries before leaving with a slight groin injury suffered on special teams.

"I felt, like, running the ball, I could be a little bit better," Snell told me. "I probably could be a little more patient and see the holes a little bit better. But I didn’t have that many carries, as well. I think the two games were equal. I got my first kickoff (tackle) the last game. I got the punt returner on this one. I feel like I’m on the right track."

Snell also made an impact in pass protection. On this play, one of his first in the game, he works across the formation to pick up a pair of blitzers and give Mason Rudolph a chance to make a third-down throw to Xavier Grimble.

That's the kind of play that will get him as many kudos from the coaching staff as picking up the first down in short yardage or making a great special teams tackle.

"I like all three because I was able to show my ability running the ball, as well as making a play on special teams," he told me. "I’m very happy with what I did in my performance. I hope I opened some eyes."

• If Rudolph didn't have a firm grasp of winning the No. 2 job before this game, he most certainly should after it.

While his overall numbers weren't eye-popping, Rudolph also didn't do this:

Don't get me wrong, Dobbs made some nice throws. But this is one that the coaching staff won't be able to live with, especially at the end of a half, as this play was.

Not only do you not get at least a chance to kick a field goal at the end of the half, but that's the kind of play that often goes for a touchdown the other way.

Dobbs did a nice job of hustling on the back end to stop that, but it's a throw he just can't make.

Rudolph was 10 of 15 for 77 yards and led one touchdown drive. It also was telling the coaching staff put him in there with all of the starters -- save Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. They wanted to get a look at whether he could move the ball with that unit.

Rudolph passed that test. It wasn't always pretty. But there were a couple of dropped passes that could have led to better numbers.

"We were comfortable. There were some miscues here and there, self-inflicted, but I thought we moved the ball well," Rudolph said. "It just feels good to get in there with JuJu (Smith-Schuster), (Donte) Moncrief and James (Washington) and the o-line. It was a new group to gel with."

• If you're not a believer in Washington after this game, I don't know what to say to you.

He had another four catches for 78 yards and also had a tackle on kickoff coverage. The young man can play.

• Mike Hilton's rise to the NFL is a great story. And he's a good football player. But it's becoming more and more apparent the Steelers need to move on from him as their primary nickel cornerback.

His lack of speed just puts him in a trail position too often to be successful there.

But Hilton doesn't look bad playing at safety, which he did some in this game. And his blitzing ability can still be used in that role.

The Steelers used some three safety packages against the Chiefs. And it wouldn't be a bad thing if Hilton was in that role.

• Of course, everything in these first two preseason games has just been window dressing. The real test will come next week when Ben Roethlisberger takes the field for the first time at Tennessee against the Titans.

And even if he goes out and plays well and the defense does, too, there will still be nagging concerns about this team heading into the regular season opener. After all, that's when the Steelers have to face Tom Brady and the Patriots.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY