Bruce Irvin has been a productive member of the Raiders defense over the last two seasons as he’s produced 15 sacks and 10 forced fumbles while playing outside linebacker for former head coach Jack Del Rio.
Del Rio is gone and Jon Gruden is back in Oakland as head coach with Paul Guenther taking over as defensive coordinator, but Irvin remains in a key role that Guenther hopes will result in a jump in sacks in his third year with the team.
“I knew he was a really gifted rusher,” Guenther said, via ESPN.com. "... Just coming here, I thought his best assets for us was to go forward rather than go backwards. He’s done a good job with what we’re asking him to do in the base fronts. Obviously, we know what he can do as a pass-rusher. Hopefully, we can get him over a double-digit [sack] mark this year. That’s the goal for him.”
Gruden talked about the need to add a third pass rusher to complement Irvin and Khalil Mack after the team drafted Arden Key in April. That would be a nice addition to the Raiders defense, especially if it comes alongside an even bigger year from Irvin.