Raiders sign reinstated DE David Irving to practice squad
The Raiders signed former Dallas Cowboys standout defensive end David Irving on Tuesday and assigned him to their practice squad.
Irving was recently reinstated by the NFL after a one-year suspension for violating its substance-abuse policy. He can be called up from the practice squad at any time.
Also, the Raiders activated quarterback Marcus Mariota, who began the season on injured reserve because of a pectoral injury.
The 6-foot-7-inch, 290-pound Irving has been a quality player during a five-year career with 12 sacks and 56 tackles in 25 games.
Availability has been a major issue, though. Irving has violated the league’s drug policies three times with four-game suspensions in 2017 and 2018 and the full ban that began in March 2019.
Irving, undrafted out of Iowa State in 2015, is familiar with Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who coached him with the Cowboys.
Irving eventually should fill a major role as a pass rusher off the bench, especially with reserve Carl Nassib’s availability uncertain because of a broken toe.
Until their upset win at Kansas City before the bye week, the Raiders had been ineffective at creating pass-rush pressure. They had 24 quarterback pressures against the Chiefs after totaling 26 in their first four games.
The addition of Irving could boost those numbers. His signing also could benefit the second and third levels of the defense, which has struggled to provide prolonged pass coverage.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
