Falcons thrilled to bring on Irvin
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons made a move to bolster their lackluster pass rush by agreeing to a one-year deal with defensive end Bruce Irvin on Wednesday, reuniting the veteran with coach Dan Quinn.
Irvin, cut by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, became a free agent after clearing waivers Tuesday with $3.8 million remaining on his contract. The Falcons (4-4), who have won three straight games after dropping three in a row, play at Cleveland (2-6-1) on Sunday.
Irvin, 31, is an Atlanta native. He celebrated his return home by posting on his Twitter account: “Man it’s time! You can’t put a price on the chance for me to play for my people and city! It’s bigger than money!”
Irvin was expected to arrive in Atlanta on Wednesday night
and practice today. Quinn said the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder will play against the Browns.
The Falcons rank 27th in the NFL with 17 sacks this season. Takk McKinley has a team-leading 5.5, but Vic Beasley — who led the league with 15.5 as a second-year pro in 2016 — has only one, so the Falcons hope Irvin adds new punch to the pass rush.
“He’s definitely a big addition to our team,” said defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who has three sacks. “As a player and as a person, we know the personality he plays with matches what we want to portray or have up front, that dog mentality. We’re ready to go hunt.”
Irvin played with the Seattle Seahawks when Quinn was the team’s defensive coordinator before taking over the Falcons in 2015. Quinn said the homecoming and the chance to play in a familiar scheme were motivating factors for Irvin.
“It’s pretty rare you get to play in your home city,” Quinn said. “He recognized that might be a special moment for him, and he really is challenged.”
Quinn said Irvin also is motivated to show he can be a successful pass-rushing end after being waived by the Raiders.
“He really is ready to prove it,” Quinn said, adding that often a player’s “most memorable competitive moments are in prove-it times, so I love it he feels he’s got some things to prove and really wants to play well. That’s what we talked about.”
The Falcons’ defense had more good news Wednesday. Linebacker Deion Jones, who has been on injured reserve since injuring a foot in the season-opening loss at Philadelphia, returned to practice. He is not eligible to return until next week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys and has not been placed on the active roster.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Beasley said of Jones’ return. “We’ve been waiting on him to come back. He’s a definite leader on the defensive side of the ball, and not just the defense, on this team. There are a lot of guys who look up to him.”
Quinn said Jones’ repetitions in practice will be watched closely this week. The coach said he has no timetable on Jones being cleared for a game.
The Falcons have forged their winning streak despite losing starting safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal to season-ending injuries. Starting guards Andy Levitre and Brando Fusco and running back Devonta Freeman are on injured reserve as well.
Irvin had three sacks this season but was on the field for only nine plays in Oakland’s 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Thursday. He played four seasons with Seattle before joining the Raiders in 2016, tallying eight sacks as a rookie in 2012 and matching that career high in 2017.
He set a career high with six forced fumbles in 2016. His 11 forced fumbles since the start of the 2016 season are the most in the NFL in that span. For his career, Irvin has 40 sacks and 15 forced fumbles.
Oakland was expected to enter the season with Irvin and Khalil Mack leading the defense as book-end pass rushers. Instead, Mack was traded to the Chicago Bears a week before the season for a package of draft picks after a lengthy holdout. The Raiders, who are rebuilding in coach Jon Gruden’s return season after previously coaching the team from 1998 to 2001, rank last in the NFL with seven sacks.