NFL source: Seahawks to sign back Bruce Irvin for needy defense; practice squad first
If you can play linebacker — if you can still play linebacker — the Seahawks have a spot for you.
An NFL source told The News Tribune that Seattle is planning to bring back its former first-round draft pick Bruce Irvin on a contract, initially to the team’s practice squad.
The way the Seahawks’ last-ranked defense has played at linebacker so far this season, Irvin is unlikely to be on the practice squad very long. Perhaps not even through the team’s game Sunday at home against Arizona.
The Seahawks made Irvin’s signing to practice squad official on Wednesday. They also signed linebacker Cullen Gillaspia to the 53-man active roster from the practice squad. Seattle had an open spot on its active roster by waiving defensive back Xavier Crawford Tuesday.
This is the third go-round with Seattle for Irvin. He turns 35 in three weeks. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider drafted Irvin 15th overall in 2012.
The boy who grew up homeless for a time and in jail as a teen is returning again, to where his unlikely NFL career began. That’s after stints with Oakland, Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle again and Chicago.
He played six games for the Bears last season. He beat rookie fill-in right tackle Jake Curhan and pressured Russell Wilson into a rushed, errant pass wide of Tyler Lockett on fourth down in the final seconds to seal Chicago’s win in the snow at Seattle in week 16 of the 2021 season.
Irvin has been unsigned since the end of last season.
His second stint with the Seahawks came when he signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract before the 2020 season. He played two games back at strongside linebacker next to Bobby Wagner before he sustained a season-ending knee injury.
The Seahawks this season have switched from Carroll’s long-time 4-3 scheme in which Irvin excelled to a 3-4 system. This season’s defense has the outside linebackers generally staying on each side, rather than flipping from strong and weak sides depending on the offensive formation for a play.
Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt began this season with Darrell Taylor as their left outside linebacker and offseason free-agent signing Uchenna Nwosu at right outside linebacker. Nwosu has been perhaps the best, most consistent performer on an awful unit. Taylor’s been benched, relegated from every-down starter to situational edge rusher in passing situations.
The Seahawks started rookie second-round pick Boye Mafe for Taylor in their loss at New Orleans last weekend. The week before that, summer waiver signing Darryl Johnson started for Taylor, at Detroit. He injured his foot 1-1/2 quarters into that start. Johnson went on injured reserve last week.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 5:57 PM with the headline "NFL source: Seahawks to sign back Bruce Irvin for needy defense; practice squad first."
