Bruce Irvin’s first tenure with the Seattle Seahawks lasted four seasons, with the former first round pick lining up primarily as an outside linebacker and coming off the edge on third downs, where he managed to rack up 22 sacks in 58 games.
Since then, Irvin has established himself as a well above-average pass rusher, playing 61 games in the last four seasons and totaling 30 sacks, including a career-high 8.5 last year with Carolina.
While Irvin has proven a capable defensive end, the Seahawks are apparently planning to utilize him the same way they did in his first go-round with the team, as an early down SAM linebacker and a defensive end on third downs.
“Pretty much the same,” Irvin offered to Seattle media when asked about his role with the team.
Irvin has thrived coming off the edge since his time in Seattle, but now he will compete with K.J. Wright and first round pick Jordyn Brooks for snaps at the SAM linebacker position.
It’s unclear exactly how things will shake out in the linebacker corps. Bobby Wagner is starting in the middle, no doubt, but coach Pete Carroll indicated Wright can be moved from WILL to SAM, and Brooks will likely compete at WILL to start out.
So, does that mean Irvin and Wright will compete with each other at SAM? What about Cody Barton? Irvin’s revelation leaves a lot more questions than answers, and it seems like it would make more sense, based on Seattle’s current roster construction, to allow Irvin to play defensive end exclusively and leave the linebacker corps as is.
Of course, there could still be more roster moves to be made, including the addition of a premier pass rusher, and Wright’s offseason shoulder surgery could be far more of a concern than the team has let on up to this point.
Even if Irvin is back in his old role, the nine-year veteran believes he has more to offer than he did in his first tenure with the Seahawks.
“I’m a more polished player,” Irvin continued. “The game is slower. I know how to set up certain moves, I know how to study film. How to take care of my body.”
How Irvin is utilized will have long-reaching effects on this Seattle defense in 2019, and probably won’t be fully answered until the start of the season in September.
