Bruce Irvin, Lions Agree to Contract; Former Seahawks DE to Start with Practice Squad

Veteran defensive end Bruce Irvin is heading to the Motor City.

Irvin has agreed to a new contract with the Detroit Lions and will begin his tenure with the franchise on the practice squad, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Irvin in the first round of the 2012 draft out of West Virginia.

Irvin spent four seasons with the franchise before joining the then-Oakland Raiders from 2016 until he was released during the 2018 campaign. He joined the Atlanta Falcons for the remainder of the 2018 season and played for the Carolina Panthers in 2019 before re-joining the Seahawks in 2020.

The 36-year-old spent the 2021 season with the Chicago Bears and found himself back in Seattle for the 2022 campaign.

While Irvin has yet to appear in a game this season, he's coming off a decent 2022 season in which he posted 3.5 sacks, 28 tackles, five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits in 11 games.

One of Irvin's best seasons came when he was with the Raiders in 2017. He posted eight sacks, three pass breakups, four forced fumbles, 58 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits in 16 games.

Aaron Glenn's Detroit defense has provided pressure occasionally, but the combination of Julian Okwara, John Cominsky, Charles Josh Paschal, and Romeo Okwara have combined for just 4.5 sacks through nine games.

The Lions will be hoping Irvin can provide some pass-rushing depth deep into the season and perhaps the playoffs after Detroit failed to record a sack of Justin Herbert in a 41-38 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Detroit enters Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Bears atop the NFC North with a 7-2 record and are primed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.