The Chicago Bears haven’t gotten enough help from their pass rush in recent weeks. Khalil Mack is ailing with a foot injury and Jeremiah Attaochu is already lost for the season. With Robert Quinn being the only proven option left it seems GM Ryan Pace and the coaching staff decided to fortify that position a little more. How? By signing veteran Bruce Irvin, most recently of the Seattle Seahawks.
Irvin is a former 1st round pick who helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl in 2013. After that he went on a bit of a journeyman career, compiling 52 sacks along the way. He had a really good season for the Carolina Panthers in 2019, notching 8.5 sacks. Unfortunately, a homecoming to Seattle in 2020 ended after just two games when he tore his ACL. He has been in recovery ever since.
This is a sign that he is finally healthy.
Veteran pass-rusher Bruce Irvin has signed with the #Bears, source said. With Khalil Mack banged up, some help on the edge.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2021
Been a long road but I’m backkk! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) November 18, 2021
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💪 Bruce Irvin gets the safety 💪 pic.twitter.com/wDhKp9tjRM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 27, 2019
At the same time, this move doesn’t bode well for the bigger picture. Mack continues to miss practices and it’s fair to wonder if signing Irvin is a sign that he probably isn’t going to return for a while yet. If so, it only raises further questions about why the Chicago Bears brass didn’t just put him on Injured Reserve when it was obvious he was going to miss time. Add it to the list of puzzling Matt Nagy decisions in recent months.
That aside, Irvin should help if he’s healthy. He hasn’t played football since September of last year. So once can guess he has some rust to knock off. Still, he’ll be needed in the coming weeks with Chicago playing yet more good quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Aaron Rodgers. If the defense can’t pressure them, they don’t have a prayer of climbing out of the 3-6 hole they’re currently in. Irvin has plenty to prove.
He’ll certainly be motivated. Not just because of what happened last year but also because he is reuniting with an old friend. He and Mack were teammates for two years with the Raiders. No doubt a factor in his decision to sign with Chicago.
