A day after making a hard decision on Isaiah Buggs, the Lions had to make another on Bruce Irvin. Detroit has released the veteran defensive end from its practice squad after signing him in November in hopes of boosting the pass rush.
Irvin announced Wednesday morning via a post on X that he and the Lions have parted ways, which was later confirmed by Dan Campbell. With injured defensive players Alim McNeill and C.J. Gardner-Johnson poised to return to the lineup in Sunday's season finale and James Houston not far behind them, the Lions have needed to create room on their active roster.
Irvin, who played in just three games for Detroit, is the latest casualty of the crunch. Campbell said the Lions just didn't have the space on defense to afford Irvin a consistent role.
"We talked last week, talked again yesterday, had a long talk, and just at this moment, just couldn’t totally commit," said Campbell. "And he’s got stuff going on, too, so it’s hard. It’s just one of those, at this point, it wasn’t going to work out. But he’s an absolute stud, he sure is."
Irvin had one sack, two quarterback hits and five quarterback pressures in limited snaps in his three games with the Lions, including last week's loss to the Cowboys. He was deployed almost strictly as a pass rusher, a role that figures to be filled by Houston, who had eight sacks in seven games last season.
"Bruce, what a pro," said Campbell. "It’s been a blessing to have him around here. He just brings a whole different perspective. He’s as professional as you get, the way he goes about his business."