Tag: Bruce Irvin

Seattle Seahawks agree to terms with free agent DE Bruce Irvin

The Seattle Seahawks reunited with free agent edge rusher Bruce Irvin, who tallied 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits last year with Carolina

The Seattle Seahawks used the first official day of free agency to shore up their depleted pass rush and to reunite with an old friend.

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the team has agreed to terms with veteran defensive end Bruce Irvin. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.

Irvin, 32, fueled speculation that he wanted to come back to Seattle earlier in the offseason on his twitter account. Now he returns for the first time since 2015, having spent the past four seasons with three different teams.

Irvin racked up 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits with the Panthers in 2019, immediately making him the Seahawks most formidable pass rusher. Seattle’s leader in sacks last year was Rasheem Green, with just four.

Irvin is the first of what should be a complete overhaul on the Seahawks defensive line in 2020, and the veteran will add positional versatility, experience, and a nose for knocking the ball loose to a frontline that desperately needs help, whether or not they are able to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney.

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Bruce Irvin fuels speculation about returning to Seahawks

Free agent Bruce Irvin indicated a desire to return to the Seattle Seahawks on twitter. Could a reunion finally happen this offseason?

The Seattle Seahawks won’t be content with just one addition to their defensive line this offseason, as a nearly full-fledged rebuild likely needs to occur for this team to effectively rush the quarterback in 2020.

The priority is getting Jadeveon Clowney back in the green and blue next year, but that will cost roughly $20 million dollars in cap space, forcing any other additions to be more cost-effective.

Adding via the draft is certainly an option, and one the Seahawks will likely pursue, but the team could also look for a low-cost veteran to plug in along the defensive line – and a familiar face has put himself in the running for that job.

Bruce Irvin, who was Seattle’s first round pick in 2012 and played with them for four seasons, is set to hit free agency again after playing 2019 with the Panthers, where he racked up 8.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits.

Irvin would easily become one of Seattle’s most efficient pass rushers, even if they bring Clowney back, and he demonstrated an interest in coming back to Seattle on Twitter.

Of course, there have been plenty of opportunities for Irvin to make his way back to the Emerald City, as he is now a free agent for the third time since his departure – choosing to sign with the Raiders, Falcons and Panthers instead of coming back to Seattle.

That may be in part because the Seahawks didn’t utilize Irvin much as a straight edge rusher early in his career. With Pete Carroll still at the helm, it’s possible they wouldn’t consider him for that role now, even though he has 52 career sacks to his name.

Still – if the Seahawks decide they want to add someone for an affordable contract who can come in and immediately disrupt opposing quarterbacks, Irvin should be at or near the top of their wish list.

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Russell Wilson reunites with best friend in Robert Turbin

The Seattle Seahawks brought back Russell Wilson’s best friend, Robert Turbin, who originally joined the team in the 2012 draft class.

The Seattle Seahawks brought back a pair of familiar faces this week, signing former running backs Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin to replace Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise.

While Lynch’s return has garnered the most attention, understandably, Turbin’s reputation as a strong blocker and receiver out of the backfield will make him an appealing replacement for Prosise as the team’s no. 3 back.

More than that, Turbin is a strong locker room presence as a six-year NFL veteran, and his return is a chance to reunite quarterback Russell Wilson with his best friend.

“He was in my wedding,” Wilson said on Thursday. “A guy that I’ve been super close to ever since day one.”

Turbin and Wilson both came to Seattle in their incredible 2012 NFL Draft class, joined by Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin and J.R. Sweezy.

Wilson went in the third round, with Turbin following a round later and joining Wagner as picks out of Utah State. However, despite the relationship with Wagner, Turbin and Wilson took to each other right away.

“I’ll never forget when we had the rookie symposium,” Wilson continued. “It was the first time all of us Seahawks being together and everything. I walked into my hotel room and there was Robert Turbin. He was my roommate. I remember us sitting there listening to oldies and just jamming out and having fun. Talking life, getting to know each other and everything else. Fast forward, we went to the event and everything those couple days or whatever it was. I remember us going to Canton, being in Canton and going to the Hall of Fame and walking around and talking about where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there. Every day, we’ve always supported each other.”

The two remained teammates from 2012-2014, before Turbin was claimed off waivers by the Browns in September of 2015.

Turbin bounced around in 2015 before spending three years with Indianapolis, where he last played in October of 2018.

While Turbin’s career has not gone quite according to plan, his relationship with Wilson was no doubt a key in his return to the Seahawks, and should help him contribute on game day.

“Our roads have been slightly different, but they’ve been the same,” Wilson said. “We’ve always supported each other and always been together, even when we’re apart. He’s one of my best friends in the world. A guy who works extremely hard. A guy who’s ready to play, excited to play. He’s a guy who’s tough as nails.”

Turbin may not be called upon to do much on Sunday, but his presence should have a positive impact on Wilson’s morale heading into the biggest (and final) game of the regular season.

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Seahawks’ recent 1st-round picks continuing to struggle

The Seattle Seahawks are 8-2 despite a trio of struggling first-round picks.

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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has proven to be excellent at finding high-quality NFL players in the later rounds of the draft, and his recent trades have paid off handsomely as well.

However, if there is one area of weakness for Schneider and his staff, it is in the first round.

Earl Thomas and Bruce Irvin were two of Schneider’s earliest first-round picks, and while both of them were extremely successful, the first round has not gone well for Schneider and company since then.

The Seahawks have only made three picks in the first round since Irvin: tackle Germain Ifedi (2016), running back Rashaad Penny (2018) and defensive end L.J. Collier (2019). In 2017, they traded their first-round selection to the Falcons in a draft-pick swap.

While Ifedi has gradually improved, his issues with penalties and struggles in pass protection have been well documented over the past few years. The team declined to give him a fifth-year option, potentially bringing an end to his Seahawks tenure after this season.

Penny is in his second NFL season, and he has already fallen out of favor in Seattle’s run game. Chris Carson dominated the last two seasons, and Penny has struggled to find his footing in the league. He has carried the ball just 36 times for 167 yards and one touchdown on the year, and got benched in Week 10 against the 49ers after just three snaps, one of which included a fumble.

As long as Carson is in tow, Penny’s role will likely be limited to a change-of-pace back — not what you want out of a first-round pick.

Lastly, Collier was selected late in the first round of the 2019 draft. He suffered an ankle injury during training camp, which caused him to miss the entire preseason and has slowed his development.

Collier has been a healthy inactive for a handful of games and has only played a total of 69 defensive snaps, recording two solo tackles.

While there’s still time for Collier, and potentially Penny, to develop into big-time contributors, it’s clear Schneider excels at finding great players in the later rounds and not as often in Round 1.

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Brian Burns has the fastest edge pass rush get off in the NFL this year

The Panthers have two of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL this year when it comes to average time to get across the line of scrimmage.

The Panthers have two of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL this year when it comes to average time to get across the line of scrimmage.

According to Next Gen Stats, nobody is doing it quicker than first-round pick Brian Burns, who is averaging 0.72 seconds. That’s .03 seconds better than anyone else. Carolina’s veteran linebacker Bruce Irvin is also among the league leaders – he comes in at No. 5 with a 0.76-second average.

Brian Burns
via Next Gen Stats

That initial burst off the line of scrimmage has helped Burns get to 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits.

However, things have been slowing down for Burns the last month or so of the season. Starting in Week 4 when Bruce Irvin made his debut in the lineup, Burns saw his playing time begin to dwindle. After playing 44, 39 and 56 snaps from Weeks 1-3, he saw his defensive snap count drop to just 38 against the Texans.

Burns compounded the issue in that game by slamming his fist into the field after a partially blocked punt (he was frustrated he didn’t block it out right). He has since undergone surgery and hasn’t made as much of an impact while wearing protection on his wrist.

Things bottomed out last week when Burns only saw 11 snaps against the Packers.

While it’s good the Panthers have a plethora of quality pass rushers like Irvin and Mario Addison, their success shouldn’t come at the cost of playing time for guys like Burns, who represent the future of the defense.

Ron Rivera needs to put his first-round pick on the field more if he’s serious about staying in the playoff race and sticking around in 2020.

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Bruce Irvin’s bad take on Baker Mayfield’s reaction to Myles Garrett incident

Panthers linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter and said Mayfield was dry snitching by calling out his teammate.

At the end of Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Steelers, Myles Garrett made a shocking attack on Mason Rudolph. After a late hit, he stripped Rudolph’s helmet and then clubbed him over the head with it. A substantial fine and a lengthy suspension are certainly coming down the pipe for Garrett.

After the game, Baker Mayfield didn’t mince words. He knew what Garrett did was inexcusable and said as much.

Seems sensible enough, right?

Apparently not everyone agrees. Panthers linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter and said Mayfield was dry snitching by calling out his teammate.

Irvin elaborated with another tweet, saying he’s all for being a leader but he says he’d never out his teammates on national TV ever.

Bad take.

Garrett outed himself on TV, so Mayfield couldn’t dry snitch even if he tried. Stating the obvious doesn’t mean Mayfield betrayed Garrett (who admitted he was wrong) in any way.

Having your teammate’s back does not require you to take their side when they have done something wrong. Period.

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