Bears sign veteran pass rusher Bruce Irvin - NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears have bolstered their pass rush. The team announced they signed former Seahawks standout Bruce Irvin on Friday.

Irvin jumped the gun by sending this celebratory tweet on Thursday evening:

Been a long road but I’m backkk! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) November 18, 2021

Irvin suffered an ACL injury in Week 2 last season, and hasn’t played football since. He had signed a one-year deal in Seattle in 2020, but didn’t sign a new contract with any team this offseason.

Over his nine-year career, Irvin’s notched 52 sacks, 118 QB hits, 16 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He brought two of those interceptions back for touchdowns, too.

His signing might be an indication that Khalil Mack will not be ready to play in Week 11, when the Bears host the Ravens. On the other hand, it could just be Ryan Pace’s attempt to fill the void left by Jeremiah Attaochu, who was lost for the year with a torn pectoral muscle in Week 5.

With both Attaochu and Mack out, the Bears pass rush has been thin the past two weeks, relying heavily on Robert Quinn and Trevis Gipson to come off the edge, including some snaps on the outside from inside linebacker Christian Jones.

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