The Seahawks are checking in on one of their former first-round picks. Bruce Irvin , who has already gone through two tours of duty in Seattle, worked out for the Seahawks on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will lead to a deal.
Irvin is indeed back with the Seahawks, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting (via Twitter) the 10-year veteran is now on Seattle’s practice squad. Irvin was last with the Seahawks in 2020.
A four-year Seahawk to start his career, Irvin has connections to both the team and new assistant Sean Desai. He was with Desai during the latter’s one-year run as Bears defensive coordinator last season. Irvin, 34, is past his days as a full-time starter, but he did work as a rotational pass rusher in Chicago.
This reunion comes two years after Irvin sustained a torn ACL. That injury, which occurred in September 2020, hijacked Irvin’s second run with the Seahawks. He had started the first two games of that season with the team. Irvin has not registered a sack since 2019 when he served as a full-time starter with the Panthers, but he has remained on the NFL radar despite the late-career injury. Irvin has 52 career sacks.
Going back to 2015, the Seahawks passed on Irvin’s fifth-year option. That led the former Super Bowl starter to Oakland, where he played three seasons. Irvin finished the 2018 season in Atlanta and migrated to Carolina in 2019. He reunited with ex-Raiders DC Ken Norton Jr. in Seattle in 2020. Norton is no longer with the Seahawks, but the team hired Desai this offseason. Clearly, Irvin has made good impressions during his nomadic career.
Despite the change from Norton to Clint Hurtt, the Seahawks are struggling on defense. They rank 31st in points allowed and 32nd in total defense. Seattle revamped its edge-rushing contingent as well, cutting ties with the likes of Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa. Uchenna Nwosu has been a solid addition to the team’s pass rush, and Seattle has wanted to incorporate second-round pick Boye Mafe into the mix more. The team also has former second-round pick Darrell Taylor in place as a part-time rush option, and ex-first-rounder L.J. Collier remains on the team. Collier is on IR, though the Seahawks designated the underwhelming defensive end for a return last week.
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