Oakland Raiders: Bruce Irvin can wake up pass rush vs. Browns

Defensive end Bruce Irvin’s matchup against a rookie tackle could ignite the Oakland Raiders pass rush in Week 4 vs. the Cleveland Browns.

Once the Oakland Raiders traded Khalil Mack, the onus fell upon Bruce Irvin to lead the pass rush. Thus far, the seventh-year defensive end’s performances have left many asking where’s the vocal leader who wanted a double-digit sack season?

It’s easy to focus on Irvin’s one sack as a major disappointment, but he only has three tackles in just as many games. You’d be fooling yourself to think he’d turn into No. 52 on the end, but the 30-year-old must give this defensive unit more than a tackle per contest. There’s another contributing factor to his low production.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has significantly scaled back Irvin’s snap count from previous seasons. In his first two years with the team, the West Virginia product logged 88.45 and 84.70 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. This year, he’s on the field for 61.27 percent of the plays on defense.

Through three weeks, Guenther has decided to use rotations even at the expense of his most experienced defensive end.

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Rookie third-rounder Arden Key (53.76 percent) has logged most of his pass-rushing snaps on the left side. Frostee Rucker handles a more versatile role with 52.60 percent of the reps, attacking off of both sides. Fadol Brown takes the field in small doses in 17.92 percent of the action, switching from left to right.

Nonetheless, Sunday could be Irvin’s day to wake up the Raiders pass rush, which ranks last in sacks with three leading up to their Week 4 matchup.

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield have been sacked a combined 14 times. Some of the blame goes to the veteran signal-caller for holding onto the ball too long.

In Week 3, the New York Jets sacked Mayfield once on his first drive during the second quarter, but the rookie’s quick release helped keep him out of trouble for the second half. If he’s able to get the ball out quickly, there’s nothing Irvin can do.

However, left tackle Desmond Harrison‘s struggles should allow for a few cracks at the No. 1 overall pick. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the undrafted rookie has allowed 13 total pressures (12 quarterback hurries plus a sack) through three weeks.

Mayfield will have to keep an eye on his blind side for good reason with an experienced pass-rusher going up against a rookie pass protector who’s struggled to thwart pocket pressure in his area.

There’s excitement for rookie defensive tackle P.J. Hall‘s (ankle) potential return because of his ability to disrupt plays on the inside. However, Irvin, the most established name on the defensive line must pull through in a favorable matchup on the end.

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