DETROIT – According to reports, the Detroit Lions have some much-needed defensive assistance, as veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin has agreed to sign with the team to their practice squad.
The news broke on Tuesday (Nov. 14) on X by NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.
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“Veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin is signing with the #Lions, per his agent Daniela Salazar,” wrote Pelissero. “Irvin will start out on the practice squad. He has 55.5 career sacks.”
Veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin is signing with the #Lions, per his agent Daniela Salazar.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 14, 2023
Irvin will start out on the practice squad. He has 55.5 career sacks. pic.twitter.com/wJRSQcmLaW
The Lions have been in need of another pass rusher to go along with former Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks through nine games.
The Lions, as a whole, have only acquired 21 sacks in the season, which is near the bottom of the NFL.
The lack of depth at getting to the quarterback was on full display during last Sunday’s showtime shootout when the Lions took down the Los Angeles Chargers with a last-second walk off-field goat 41-38. In that game, the Lions had zero sacks as Justin Herbert connected with Keenan Allen early and often.
Read: Showtime performance lifts Detroit Lions to victory over Chargers in historic great western shootout
During the week nine duel, Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone were the only players to get a hand on Herbert, who completed 67.5% of his passes while accounting for 323 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Irvin, 36, was selected by the (Lions nemesis) Seattle Seahawks with the No. 15th pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
The 36-year-old was on the Legion of Boom during their Super Bowl XLVIII shellacking of Payton Manning and the Denver Broncos, so his knowledge and wisdom will be essential for the young Lions playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. He was also involved in Super Bowl XLIX where he almost took down the goat, Tom Brady.
Irving, who bounced around for a few teams, including the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Atlanta Falcons, amassed 55.5 sacks. Before reuniting with the Seahawks during the 2022 season, he accounted for 3.5 sacks while playing a whopping 400 defensive snaps.
