Wyman: Seahawks’ best move so far is bringing Bruce Irvin back
Mar 27, 2020, 1:18 AM
Bruce Irvin comes back to the Seahawks after making a career-high 8.5 sacks in 2019. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seahawks have added eight players this offseason entering Friday, and Jim Moore of 710 ESPN Seattle’s Bob, Dave and Moore shared earlier in the week how he ranks each of the moves.
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Atop Moore’s list is cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who the Seahawks picked up from Washington in a trade that was made official on Tuesday. And while Dunbar is probably on top of most people’s lists, he isn’t for one of Moore’s co-hosts.
Dave Wyman, a former NFL linebacker, noted Thursday on Bob, Dave and Moore that he thinks the best addition Seattle has made thus far is bringing back pass rusher Bruce Irvin, who Moore had ranked fourth.
“I just think he’s perfect for what you need coming off the edge, plus he’s just a good player out in space,” Wyman explained.
The reason why Irvin continues to excel in the pass rush is simple, according to Wyman.
“The thing that most catches my eye is that he can still run, and that’s the thing in the NFL – you have to be able to run,” he said. “You’ve gotta have speed and he has great field speed.”
💪 Bruce Irvin gets the safety 💪 pic.twitter.com/wDhKp9tjRM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 27, 2019
Irvin is 32 and his next season will be his ninth in the NFL, but the Seahawks’ 2012 first-round draft pick doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
“It was his best year,” Bob Stelton said of Irvin’s 2019 season in which he had a career-high 8.5 sacks for the Carolina Panthers, “and he did it in 13 games, by the way.”
Wyman caught a replay of a Panthers game from last season against the 49ers recently on the NFL Network, and while San Francisco was dominant in a 51-13 win, something jumped out on a play in which Irvin tackled running back Raheem Mostert, who had made a catch on a swing route.
“He was inside and ran all the way outside, (Mostert) broke down and tried to put a move on Irvin and Irvin tackled him. He is so athletic. … Watching him, he’s still got the high knees and the quick twitch and everything. The performance was there last year.”
Though Irvin is Wyman’s clear choice for the top spot, he’s impressed with what he’s seen of Dunbar, too.
“I’m not sure how ‘fast’ he is but he has great field speed,” he said of Dunbar. “… His closing speed is really good. If he does get beat… he makes up a lot of ground.”
So why does Irvin get the edge?
“I just think Bruce Irvin is more of a proven commodity,” Wyman said. “(And) if you look at (Dunbar’s) ability to run at his position versus Bruce’s ability to run at his position, Bruce is better in that regard.”
You can hear the full conversation in the first segment of this podcast from Thursday’s edition of Bob, Dave and Moore.
Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Bob, Dave and Moore on Twitter.
More offseason Seahawks coverage
• Quinton Dunbar to Danny & Gallant: ‘I wanted to go to Seattle’
• Bumpus: Dunbar should fare better than other CBs in move to Seahawks
• Signing of WR Phillip Dorsett has more meaning than just addressing a need
• Heaps: Why Dorsett is a perfect fit for Seahawks’ offense
• 2020 Seahawks offseason tracker: Additions, departures and more
