Huard: What are reasonable expectations for Bruce Irvin’s Seahawks return?

After an extremely poor start to the season defensively, the Seahawks have reunited with an old friend in outside linebacker Bruce Irvin.

Bruce Irvin back with Seahawks, could be teacher as much as contributor

Irvin, now 34, was the Seahawks’ first-round pick in 2012 and is back with the team for the third time. He played 58 games for Seattle from 2012-15 while recording 22 sacks and five takeaways before signing with the Raiders. He returned to the Seahawks in 2020 but played just two games before tearing his ACL.

Now, the veteran defender has signed to the Seahawks’ practice squad, and after hearing what head coach Pete Carroll had to say this week, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks that Irvin could play for the team this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

“Bruce is different, man,” Huard said Thursday morning on Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports 710 AM. “Bruce, we knew that when he was drafted. He was like a safety, a receiver, a linebacker, an edge rusher. Athletically, the dude is unique and is gifted. And if he is in any kind of cardiovascular shape – and Pete said he kept himself in pretty decent shape – he could play this week. He could play 10 snaps this week.”

Despite being extremely physically gifted even at 34 years old, Huard doesn’t see Irvin stepping into a major role of 40-plus snaps right away. But he thinks there are clear situations he can make an impact for the Seahawks on defense.

“Could he get in there in base defense if Arizona is going to put a couple of tight ends on the field or (the Cardinals are in) short yardage and he’s going to hold that point in a way that Darrell Taylor just physically right now can’t? I think that’s realistic,” he said.

And going forward, Huard thinks Irvin is best suited for a rotational role with the Seahawks, in large part because of Taylor and his development.

“I don’t think this season he’s ever going to give you (and) I don’t think you want more than 50% of the snaps. You need Darrell Taylor’s evolution and growth,” he said. “But you don’t want Uchenna Nwosu playing 80% of the snaps that he’s doing right now. That’s not sustainable. So yeah, this was a move they had on their radar for a while, Pete said, and ultimately I think just setting the edge and the physical presence (has) not nearly been good enough and Bruce is gonna get his chance right away.”

Listen to the second hour of Thursday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.

Rost: Similar situation for Seahawks’ D vs Cardinals, but with extra help this week

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