Isaiah Irving could be the Bears surprise contributor in 2018
Isaiah Irving flashed in the preseason before an injury ended his 2018 regular season campaign.
Matt Eurich - 16 hours ago 1
Each and every year there is someone on the Chicago Bears roster who comes out of nowhere to become a major contributor. The Bears have seen an undrafted free agent like Cameron Meredith become a real threat in the passing game in 2016 and Jordan Howard went from a sixth-round pick into a Pro Bowl running back that same season. There are already a handful of players on Chicago's roster who have the potential to become surprise contributors during the 2018 season.
When looking on the defensive side of the ball, the first name that stands out is outside linebacker Isaiah Irving. A four-year contributor at San Jose State between 2013 and 2016, Irving played defensive tackle, linebacker and defensive end during his time with the team. In those four seasons he recorded 139 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He notched 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his senior season. Despite the strong showing in his senior year, Irving went undrafted last offseason.
After getting limited opportunities in the first two preseason games last year, Irving made the most of his final two opportunities last preseason. In the third game against the Tennessee Titans he recorded one tackle and one sack. He backed that up with three tackles and two sacks in the preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns. He did enough to convince the team he was worthy of a practice squad role before he got the call-up to the 53-man roster in early October. He made his debut in Week 6, appearing in just one snap. Between Week 7 and Week 11 he played just four snaps before taking on a larger role in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He finished that game with two tackles before he was eventually placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Despite not showing a whole lot in his rookie season, the Bears must feel good about his potential considering the fact that the organization did very little to address the outside linebacker position this offseason. Chicago moved on Pernell McPhee and Willie Young and replaced them with Aaron Lynch and sixth-round pick Kylie Fitts.
With a full offseason under his belt under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley, Irving could be a surprise contributor this season.
Last season he showed he can play with solid pad level and that he has an impressive first step. He will need to bulk up this offseason as he tends to get pushed around by bigger, stronger offensive linemen and tight ends. In order to be an every-down linebacker he will need to also improve against the run. His hand usage and ability to dip his hips are what makes him some an intriguing option for the Bears at the outside linebacker this season.