5 things to know about new Bears OLB Bruce Irvin

The Chicago Bears have added a veteran pass rusher to help out on defense while Khalil Mack is nursing his foot injury. That linebacker’s name? Bruce Irvin.

Irvin is back in the league after a sub-par 2020 season with the Seahawks. With Seattle in 2020, Irvin only played in two games before suffering a torn ACL.

After signing with the Bears, Irvin took to Twitter to say this: “Been a long road but I’m back!”

Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Bears’ defense.

Irvin is a Super Bowl Champion

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Bruce Irvin won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in his second season in the NFL. He started in 12 games during that playoff run and played in all three playoff games for Seattle.

Even though it was his second season in the league, he found early success, helping the Seahawks to one of the best defenses in the league. During that playoff run, he played both outside and inside linebacker, showing that he can be used in multiple spots on defense.

With Irvin’s resume, he is a great veteran addition to the Bears defense. Ryan Pace deserves credit for going out and signing him.

Irvin's teams are undefeated against the Bears

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In games where Irvin has played against the Bears, he hasn’t lost. Maybe that 2-0 record can turn around and help Chicago win some football games.

In those two starts against the Bears, Irvin has 0.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and five total tackles. Hopefully those quarterback hits will turn into sacks for Chicago.

Irvin has big shoes to fill while Khalil Mack is out due to injury. Whether he starts or not is to be determined, but adding depth to the outside linebacker position was a need that was filled.

Irvin's career stats over his NFL career

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Irvin has played for four different teams in his career, including the Seahawks, Raiders, Panthers and Falcons. He has 52 sacks, three interceptions, and 308 career tackles since 2012.

Irvin played in just two games last season, and his last recorded sack was in 2019. He’s due for one, and with eight games left in the Bears season, he has plenty of time to get one.

The last time he played in all 16 regular season games was 2018, but he managed to play in 13 games for the Panthers in 2019.

Irvin is a former first round draft pick

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Irvin was picked with the 15th pick in the 2012 NFL draft by the Seahawks. He had two stints in Seattle, with his second one being just two games in 2020.

Irvin has also played for the Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers. The Bears will be his fifth NFL team.

His career has spanned over nine seasons, with 2021 being his 10th.

Irvin was teammates with Khalil Mack

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Irvin and Khalil Mack know each other well, as Irvin was Mack’s teammate when they were with the Raiders. His stint in Oakland was just three seasons, but he was very productive.

Irvin played in 40 games as a Raider. He had 115 total tackles, 18 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles. That’s not bad for 40 games.

When the two were they wore numbers just one apart, Irvin wearing 51 and Mack wearing 52. It’ll be interesting to see which number Irvin wears in Chicago, as it won’t be 51.

The two played great football together and it’ll be interesting to see if Irvin sticks around long enough to reunite with his former teammate. The Bears do have a solid set of pass rushers, with Robert Quinn on one side, and of course Mack on the other. Still, Irvin could play a depth role and slide in for both players when needed.

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