Local-grown NFL players start training camp with Chargers and Bills

So far, so good for Gordon native and Buffalo Bills rookie Tylan Grable.

“Buzz” is an oft-used word by NFL beat writers and bloggers this time of year, and Grable has created plenty of buzz at the Bills training camp. Wrote Nick Sabato of the Niagara Gazette: “(Grable) started training camp with the third-string offense, but quickly started getting reps with the second-team.”

Added Maxwell Owens of buffalorumblings.com: “One of the early story lines of the rookie class so far in camp has been how quickly Grable has vaulted himself from sixth-round draft pick into the two deep early on. He has worked at both tackle spots and at guard with the second-team unit.”

Grable, Wilkinson County High Class of 2018, will suit up for the very first time in the NFL on Saturday, as Buffalo hosts Chicago in its preseason opener. The NFL Network will broadcast the game live, and coverage begins at 1 p.m.

Prior to making a strong move in training camp, Grable was projected to be a long-term project for Buffalo and someone who would likely start his career on the practice squad and not make the final 53-man roster. However, Grable apparently never got the memo. Nevertheless, the next three weeks obviously will be crucial for Grable, as all 32 NFL teams must make their final cuts and announce their final 53-man roster by Aug. 27.

Grable’s strong start increases the likelihood that Wilkinson County could have two players make active rosters in the NFL, which would be a remarkable feat for a county of 8,000-something people. In the United States, for example, roughly 1-out-of-every-150,000 people is an NFL player, including practice squad players and free agents. If Grable makes the active roster, the ratio in Wilkinson County would be a whopping 1-out-of-every-4,400 people.

The other local-grown “NFL Warrior,” of course, is Bud Dupree. While Grable prepares for his very first pro game, Bud Dupree is readying to play his 140-somethingth, which includes preseason games. Dupree, WCHS Class of 2010, is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, signing a two-year contract with the team back in May. The “base value” of the contract is $6 million, and the “maximum value” is $10 million, depending on bonuses.

Barring anything drastic or unforeseen, Dupree is a sure bet to make the Chargers’ active roster. Dupree won’t have nearly as much pressure on him with the Chargers, who already have a pair of future Hall of Famers at the same position – Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. In the NFL, however, you can never have too many quality edge players, and Dupree currently is battling with second-year player Tuli Tuipulotu to be the first man off the bench.

Alexander Insdort of boltbeat.com recently handicapped the competition this way: “Tuipulotu looks to build off of his breakout rookie campaign. In his first season, the USC product totaled 4.5 sacks and 51 pressures. While the peak pass rushing production didn’t quite sustain through the rest of the season after his hot start, he was consistently making plays that needed to be made. Tuipulotu finished fourth amongst all EDGE rushers in PFF run defense grade…While far removed from his Pittsburgh prime, Dupree still had 6.5 sacks and 38 pressures. He’s a productive player that adds to the most significant depth the Chargers have had at EDGE rusher in quite some time. Per PFF, Dupree’s 65.4 run defense score last season was his highest since the 2019 campaign.”

During his one season in Atlanta, Dupree was the starter and was expected to be the leading sack artist on the team. He finished the 2023 season with 6.5 sacks.

Dupree is entering his 10th season in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers originally drafted Dupree with their first-round pick in 2015. Dupree then grinded on his rookie contract for the next four seasons before cashing in in 2020, signing a 1-year, $15.828 “franchise” contract with Pittsburgh. The following off-season, Dupree signed a five-year deal with Tennessee, complete with a $16 million signing bonus and $35 million in guaranteed money. After an injury-plagued two seasons in Nashville, however, the Titans organization released Dupree, and he subsequently signed with the Falcons last April.

For local Dupree fans, friends and family, the good news is that the Chargers will play a pair of games this season within reasonable driving distance. The Chargers will play at Carolina against the Panthers on Sept. 15, while Dupree’s new squad comes to Atlanta to tangle with the Falcons on Dec. 1.

Getting back to Grable, the UCF product put his name on the draft map after running the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds at the NFL Combine in March, which was the fourth-fastest time out of the roughly four dozen offensive linemen at the event. On top of that, Grable recorded the longest broad jump and the second-highest vertical leap in the offensive lineman group. Grable checked in at 306 pounds at the combine, a far cry from his high school days, when he was a scrambling quarterback for the Warriors. Grable also was an all-region basketball player for the state-champion Blue Storm, posting a double-double in back-to-back state championship games.

Grable initially signed a football scholarship at Jacksonville State in Alabama. He redshirted his freshman year while beginning to pack on the pounds. Grable never stopped grinding, rising up the depth chart and eventually becoming an FCS All-American during the COVID season. Grable then transferred to UCF in Orlando, where he started his final two years at left tackle. Last season, Grable was named honorable mention All-Big 12.