The Lions are getting some help with their pass rush by signing 36-year-old Bruce Irvin.
The Detroit Lions have made a move to potentially bolster their pass rush. According to a report from Tom Pelissero, the Lions are signing 36-year-old veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin.
Per Pelissero, Irvin will start with the team on the practice squad. The Lions do have an available spot on their 53-man roster, however, after placing Halapoulivaati Vaitai on injured reserve this week.
A former 2012 first-round pick, Irvin has played 103 games and tallied 55.5 sacks over 11 seasons. Last year, he started 10 games for the team that originally drafted him—the Seattle Seahawks. Over that span, Irvin produced 24 pressures, 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits, so he’s still got a little juice left in him.
The Lions have struggled to produce a consistent pass rush this season, ranking t-21st in sacks for the season. While second-year edge defender Aidan Hutchinson has been stellar, the Lions have gotten a total of 4.5 sacks from Julian Okwara, Charles Harris, John Cominsky, Josh Pachal, and Romeo Okwara combined
Earlier in the day, coach Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket that general manager Brad Holmes is always on the lookout for upgrades on the roster.
“Brad is always looking at guys like that,” Campbell said. “If he thinks they can bring something to us, he’s looking. We’re constantly looking to see if there’s anybody that brings something different to us that helps improve us or gives us another option here to help us in any phase of the game.”