Now acclimated, appreciative Bruce Irvin debuting in 3rd Seahawks stint, to jolt defense
After a spring and summer into fall away from the game, Bruce Irvin was finally back on a field again.
Yet last week after a few days of practice following the Seahawks signing him back for a third go-round with them, Irvin was inactive and remained off the roster, on the practice squad for Seattle’s home win over Arizona.
The Super Bowl-champion linebacker with the Seahawks 10 seasons ago felt slighted, right? He was anxious and wanted to play right away, against the Cardinals, no?
“Not really,” he said Friday.
He laughed.
He is, after all, turning 35 next week. He didn’t mind easing back in.
“It helped me a lot,” Irvin said of the week coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks gave him to acclimate upon signing. “Being that I’m older, shoot, I haven’t played since January, my last game when I was with the Bears. That’s the last time that I had on pads.
“So that first week and me just running around, getting used to getting off the ball, hand placement, I think it really helped me a lot.”
Irvin is ready to go now. The Seahawks on Saturday elevated him from the practice squad to play Sundy against the Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) at SoFi Stadium.
“He’s much further along,” Carroll said Friday. “It was too much to ask of him last week. This worked out fine, so we’re thinking he’s ready to play, and we’re not hesitant on that thought, at all.”
Irvin’s role is to set a physical edge against the run, a locker-room and sideline mentality — and to give starter and former Charger Uchenna Nwosu rest at outside linebacker. Nwosu has been one of the only big-play performers in the front seven of Seattle’s defense, but has been playing a career-high 80% of snaps. Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt want to bring that number down by using Irvin.
Irvin watched Monday night on television as the Chargers had quarterback Justin Herbert complete 37 of 57 passes through a rib injury in LOs Angeles’ 19-16 win over Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos.
It’s obvious the challenge Herbert and AFC West co-leading L.A. presented to Seattle’s defense entering Sunday. The Chargers led the NFL in passes and completions. Herbert had been throwing the ball quickly on short routes, particularly since he got hurt in the second game of the season. That’s made him difficult to sack (seven times total in six games before Sunday).
“Well, they love to throw the ball. I don’t know if you saw the last game; they threw the ball 57 times. So they definitely want to put the game in his hands, have him sling it around,” Irvin said of Herbert. “They commit to the run game a little bit, but for the most part they want to put it in Herbert’s hands and let him win the game.”
Irvin said he’s enjoying all of his third time with the Seahawks so far. The team drafted him 15th overall in 2012. He won a Super Bowl and played in another for Seattle as its outside edge rusher and strongside linebacker through the **** season.
After signing with the Raiders and then with his hometown Atlanta Falcons, Irvin came back to Seattle for the 2020 season. But two games into that season, Irvin tore ligaments in his knee. His surgery ended his season and his second Seahawks stint. The recovery from that surgery kept him out into the middle of last season, when he signed with Chicago. He played six games for the Bears and remained unsigned until Carroll and general manager John Schneider called him two weeks ago.
“It’s been great, man. Just picking up where I left off at,” Irvin said. “My 2020 year got cut short, because I got injured. I don’t think I got the full experience of being a Seahawk that year.
“It’s the same, fun atmosphere. Guys having fun. Pete keeping it fun. Come as you are. Being yourself, just handling your business.
“I think that’s always been the theme of the program.”
Two other roster moves
The Seahawks also promoted defensive back Xavier Crawford from the practice squad for special-teams duty Sunday.
That was to help the kicking units that lost cornerback Isiah Dunn on injured reserve.
Tyler Lockett played Sunday, as expected. The veteran wide receiver didn’t practice all week to rest his sore hamstring.
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 9:46 AM.
