With Maurice Hurst returning, and the signing of David Irving, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive line got healthier, and deeper on Tuesday.
Entering his third season in the NFL, Maurice Hurst knew he needed a big year playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. A key piece to an otherwise disappointing 2018 draft class, Hurst has emerged as a budding star for the Silver and Black, and a key along the defensive line.
Unfortunately, Hurst was placed on the COVID/reserve list leading up to the Kansas City Chiefs game, and had to sit out against the division rival. While his teammates picked him up with a crucial victory, not having Hurst was not something they could deal with in the long-term, something that was made a non-issue Tuesday.
Hurst was released from the COVID/reserve list and will be with the team when they take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alongside him could be a man looking to reinvent himself in the NFL, former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher David Irving.
Raiders sign David Irving
There has been no word to date as to whether Irving will be ready for the Buccaneers matchup, but him being on the team makes the defensive line that much better. He is familiar with defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who was his position coach, and defensive coordinator in Dallas, and is an absolute physical freak of nature.
If he can return to the form he showed the last time we saw him in the NFL, the Raiders are getting a true talent. Irving has been out of the league since 2018, when he appeared in only two games, so while the fan base needs to pump the breaks a bit in terms of his production right away, he could have a major impact down the road.
With Hurst returning, and the arrival of Irving, the Raiders defensive line not only gets healthier, but it also gets deeper. Kendall Vickers stood in admirably last weekend with Hurst and Maliek Collins back, and now that the Raiders have Hurst and possibly Irving in the fold, they are becoming quite a unit up front along the defensive line.