The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent much of the early offseason adjusting their roster following yet another disappointing playoff exit. The front office has shifted a sizeable portion of that toward in-house decisions on mainstay players on the defensive side of the ball.

The team has already parted ways with safety Mike Mitchell, cornerback William Gay, and safety Robert Golden last week. According to Missi Matthews of Steelers.com, general manager Kevin Colbert stated that the team hasn't decided whether they will pick up the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Bud Dupree.

The 25-year-old is currently on the fourth-year of his four-year, $9.2 million rookie deal that has a $2.9 million cap hit for the 2018 campaign. The potential fifth-year option on the contract has a projected $9.2 million cap hit that the team has until May 3 to decide whether they will pick it up or decline it.

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Through his first three years in the league, Dupree has proven to be a reliable asset for the Steelers as the starting left outside linebacker in their defensive scheme. He is coming off a respectable 2017 season where he recorded career highs with 40 total tackles and 6.0 sacks with a fumble recovery and one pass defended while playing in 15 games.

Dupree has been a valuable asset to the Steelers defense, but committing to more than $9 million in 2019 is a hefty step up in from salary he will be making next season. The front office is in the position of choosing to keep him in the fold for another season at a significant price tag or risk potentially losing out on him in free agency.

It is a difficult spot for the franchise in of having to determine if Dupree's presence is a key part of the future or if it can be replaced with another cheaper option. The Steelers still have several more weeks to make that determination regarding his long-term future with the organization.