Oakland Raiders: 17 burning questions heading into the 2018 season

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OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 03: Orleans Darkwa No. 26 of the New York Giants is tackled by Bruce Irvin No. 51 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 3, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

How will Bruce Irvin handle the full-time move to DE?

One look at Bruce Irvin’s twitter and you could see how much he hated dropping back into coverage last season. At linebacker, Irvin’s skill set was not utilized nearly enough under former defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., but that is all going to change in 2018.

This season, Irvin will make the full-time switch to defensive end, where he will play opposite All-Pro Khalil Mack on the edges. Back to just putting his head down and getting after the quarterback, it is likely Irvin goes on to set a career-high in quarterback sacks this season for a revamped Raiders defense.

Mack needed help in the pass rush, and Irvin is going to help take some of the pressure off of him. In addition, the Raiders got better in the interior of their defensive line, which means more opportunity for both Irvin and Mack to eat this season.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked Mack (5) and Irvin (33) as two of the top-50 pass rushers in the NFL, and they will show that in 2018. Irvin is going to play with even more passion for defensive coordinator Paul Guenter and head coach Jon Gruden, who have already earned Irvin’s trust, and realize the kind of talent they have in him.

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