Once he knocks off the rust, Bruce Irvin looking to bring attitude, nastiness to Lions

Allen Park — The last time Bruce Irvin stepped on a football field, he had a pretty productive day. Capping a third stint with the Seattle Seahawks — the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft — he tallied five tackles, a sack, a second tackle for loss and another QB hit in a playoff loss to San Francisco.

So, even though he entered the offseason 35 years old, with plenty of mileage on his body, he expected to get another call. But it never came — at least not until this week, when the Detroit Lions asked him to come in for a workout. That led to his signing with the practice squad, which keeps him from taking up a roster spot until he's in game shape.

"He’s got superhuman genes, by the way," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "I mean this guy, he takes great care of himself, but he’s not in football shape. He’s in shape, but he’s not in football shape. So, we’ve got to get him there first and then we’ll see where it goes."

Irvin hasn't put on pads since that Jan. 8 game against the 49ers, so he readily admits he'll need a minute to get up to speed, but he doesn't think it will be long.

"I don't care how much you work out, there's nothing like wearing pads and a helmet," Irvin said. "Once I get a couple days with that, I think I should be good to at least contribute next week in some type of way."

Even before signing Irvin, the Lions had plenty of edge rushers on the roster, but as Campbell points out, a team can never have enough. And the belief is he still has something to give, both as a veteran voice for a team entering the unfamiliar territory of a playoff chase, as well as some of that production he showcased in Seattle last year.

Irvin credits Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard with helping him get his foot in the door with Detroit. The two go way back, to Stone Mountain, Ga., where they were high school teammates at Stephenson. You read that correctly: Irvin was in high school at the same time as a Lions coach who last played in the league five years ago. In fact, he is a few months older than Sheppard.

"He stood on the table for me, so I owe him a lot," Irvin said.

In Tuesday's workout, Campbell noted Irvin showed his trademark burst, strength and bend. So, if there's any of that juice remaining after an 11-year career, where he racked up 55.5 sacks and forced 16 fumbles, he can help the Lions, a team that has struggled to get consistent pressure and sacks from its edge defenders not named Aidan Hutchinson.

And maybe more than that, Irvin can potentially add an edge Detroit's front is lacking.

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"(I can bring) a lot of attitude, a lot of nastiness," Irvin said. "I'm just dawg, an alpha, but I also feel like I have something to prove still. I've always felt like I've been underrated, my whole career. So, I feel like I still have to prove myself at 36 years old, 12 years in the league. That's just how I am, how I came out, and I don't think I'll ever change."

Assuming Irvin gets the bump to the main roster in the next couple of weeks, or even if he's temporarily elevated off the practice squad, he'd join a rotation that consists of Hutchinson, Charles Harris, John Cominsky, Josh Paschal and the Okwara brothers, Romeo and Julian.

Hutchinson leads the Lions with 4.5 sacks. The other five from that edge group have combined for the same amount.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers