A look back at Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Irving, his play in 2020 and whether he could return as a free agent in 2021.
One of the Arizona Cardinals’ many free agents this offseason is linebacker Isaiah Irving. Will he be back in 2021?
Irving was added to the roster after there were injuries to the linebacker room. He was set to play on special teams. However, in his first game, playing on special teams, he suffered a neck injury that ended his season. He was placed on injured reserve.
Now he will be a free agent.
It is uncertain where he is at with the injury and he was only signed after Chandler Jones got hurt.
I would not expect he will be a priority at all to be re-signed.
The Cardinals lost three players, including LB Isaiah Irving, who was carted off the field with a neck injury.
The Arizona Cardinals trailed the Seattle Seahawks 27-17 at halftime in their Sunday night matchup at State Farm Stadium. The half was filled with big plays but there also have been some injuries.
Three Cardinals players left the game with injuries and the Seahawks lost a couple of players.
Arizona lost defensive end Zach Allen to an ankle injury in the first quarter.
Late in the first half, starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick had to leave the game. He had a foot injury during the week that made him questionable for the game.
Recently signed linebacker Isaiah Irving left the game on a cart and strapped to a board. On a kickoff, he took a shoulder to the helmet and appeared to get knocked out. He was ruled out for the rest of the game with a neck injury.
For the Seahawks, offensive lineman Damien Lewis left the game and so did starting running back Chris Carson. Carson was ruled questionable to return after exiting with a foot injury.
Irving played three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
The Arizona Cardinals made a pair of roster moves on Thursday. One was completely expected. They placed linebacker Chandler Jones on injured reserve after he had to undergo surgery to repair his right biceps. His injury is season-ending.
He finishes the 2020 season with only one sack.
They also added a player at the same position, poaching outside linebacker Isaiah Irving off the Denver Broncos practice squad, signing him to the active roster.
Irving spent 2017-2019 with the Chicago Bears.
Irving entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State in 2017. In three seasons with the Bears, he appeared in 33 games and had one sack, 27 tackles and a fumble recovery.
He was waived/injured by the Bears and later released from injured reserve and then joined the Broncos practice squad in September.
The Cardinals gain a roster exemption for Irving until he has cleared COVID-19 testing protocols.
Broncos promoted cornerback De’Vante Bausby to the active roster.
The Denver Broncos announced several roster moves Wednesday.
After placing outside linebacker Von Miller on injured reserve, the Broncos have promoted cornerback De’Vante Bausby from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, the team confirmed.
Bausby will be filling Miller’s roster spot on the active roster after cornerback A.J. Bouye dislocated his shoulder. Bouye could be sidelined for several weeks so Denver needed to add more depth at cornerback.
To fill Bausby’s former spot on the practice squad, the Broncos signed outside linebacker Isaiah Irving, who played under coach Vic Fangio with the Chicago Bears. Irving will provide more depth as an edge defender while Miller is sidelined.
Denver also confirmed that outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka and safety P.J. Locke reverted back to the practice squad after being activated for Monday’s game. The Broncos will likely activate Tuszka or Irving this weekend to have a fourth outside linebacker against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Former Bears outside linebacker Isaiah Irving is visiting the Broncos.
The Denver Broncos are bringing free agent outside linebacker Isaiah Irving in for a visit, according to KMGH-TV’s Troy Renck.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio confirmed during his Zoom press conference before Thursday’s practice that Irving is among the players Denver is looking at. Fangio noted that the Broncos are looking at several free agents.
Irving might be a candidate for Denver’s 16-man practice squad. If he does join the practice squad (or active roster), the Broncos would have to make a corresponding move to make room for Irving.
One possible scenario could be adding Irving to the practice squad and promoting rookie Derrek Tuszka to the 53-man roster. Denver clearly values Tuszka because he’s one of four players who were placed on the protected list on the practice squad.
Irving (6-3, 254 pounds) signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State in 2017. He spent the first two years of his career playing under coach Vic Fangio, totaling 13 tackles and one sack. Last season, he played in 13 games and recorded 12 tackles.
The Broncos also wanted to bring in Clay Matthews but they weren’t able to reach an agreement with the 34-year-old pass rusher. It remains to be seen if the team will make any more attempts to sign Matthews.
The Chicago Bears linebacker corps figures to be a strength on defense, but are there depth concerns on the roster?
Chicago Bears history is rich with linebacker talent that has generally been the backbone of the defense. Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher are just a few names who have left their mark on this franchise and on the NFL, as well.
And at first glance, the 2020 version of the linebacker corps looks strong on paper. The Bears added Robert Quinn in the offseason, officially ending a disappointing tenure in Leonard Floyd. Quinn, 30, was signed to a five-year, $70 million deal, and he’s coming off an impressive 11.5 sack year with the Cowboys.
Let’s take an in-depth review of the Bears linebacker room heading into training camp.
OLB Khalil Mack
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After an impressive debut season in Chicago, Khalil Mack was double, and sometimes even triple-teamed, to limit the damage. He tallied his lowest sack total (8.5) since his rookie year, and he felt Akiem Hicks’ absence the most. After recording 4.5 sacks through the first four weeks, he logged just four sacks the rest of the way.
Mack remains one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, and Hicks’ return should boost his statistics in 2020. He can single-handedly wreak havoc on an opposing offense. Despite a down year, Mack started in all 16 games, tallying four pass deflections and five forced fumbles.
Deal is being finalized for #Bears to bring back safety DeAndre-Houston Carson. He has been one of the team's most consistent special teams performers.
Houston-Carson, drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, has become a key player on special teams. Last season, Houston-Carson played in all 16 games and totaled 6 tackles.
The Chicago Bears are bringing back a valuable defensive reserve and special teamer, re-signing outside linebacker Isaiah Irving.
The Chicago Bears are re-signing outside linebacker Isaiah Irving to a one-year deal, according to The Athletic‘s Kevin Fishbain.
OLB Isaiah Irving will be back with the Bears on a one-year deal, per league source. He did have some interest elsewhere, but he’s returning to Chicago.
Trubisky was a full participant in practice for the second consecutive day after leaving Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with a hip pointer.
When Trubisky met with reporters on Wednesday, he said that his hip was feeling much better — “day and night almost” — which bodes well for his return to the lineup.
In addition to a hip injury, Trubisky has been playing through an injured left shoulder and wearing a harness to protect it.
More good news for the Bears came with right tackle Bobby Massie being a full participant in practice for the second straight day. Massie suffered a back injury against the Rams.
Tight end Adam Shaheen (foot) and linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow) did not practice for the second time this week, while linebacker Isaiah Irving was once again limited. Irving has missed the last three games with a quad injury.
The Bears released their first injury report of the week, and QB Mitchell Trubisky was a full-go in preparation for the Giants.
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The Chicago Bears got good news regarding the status of starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky on Wednesday.
Trubisky, who suffered a hip pointer against the Los Angeles Rams, was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.
The injury occurred near the end of the first half as he scrambled trying to buy some time to find an open receiver. Trubisky was kneed in the hip by Michael Brockers. He tried to play through it, and he even led the offense on an 80-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter, but eventually the injury began wearing on him.
Right tackle Bobby Massie, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Rams, was also a full participant in practice.
There was an encouraging sign for linebacker Isaiah Irving, who returned to practice for the first time in three weeks, as he nurses a quad injury. Irving has missed the last three games, and he’s been relieved by linebacker James Vaughters.
Things don’t look so good for tight end Adam Shaheen (foot), who did not practice Wednesday. After being a healthy scratch Wed
