Could the Chiefs see a reunion with David Irving?

David Irving returning to the Cowboys in 2018 is a longshot. Could a reunion with the Kansas City Chiefs be in the cards?

David Irving could be a familiar name for Kansas City Chiefs fans as he was with the team for the 2015 preseason. Irving was an undrafted free agent who was on the roster bubble. The 6-foot 7-inch, 290-pound defensive lineman out of Iowa State made a name for himself in Kansas City throughout the preseason by showing a few flashes on the defensive side of the ball and by blocking kicks on special teams. Many Chiefs fans were hoping he would make the roster for his special teams play, and the promise he showed on the defensive line.

Irving’s success didn’t lead to a spot on the 53-man roster, but he did earn a place on the Chiefs practice squad. Unfortunately for Kansas City, these flashes were seen across the league, which led to the Cowboys signing him off the practice squad. Irving didn’t have much of an impact with the Cowboys until his sophomore season when he logged 4 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in 15 games. Last year he only played 8 games due to a 4-game suspension and 4 games with a concussion, but still managed to put up 7 sacks and a forced fumble.

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Even with his limited playing time, Irving managed to be a force on the Cowboys’ defense. Each season Irving has seen substantial improvement and he became a full-time starter this past season in the limited number of games he played in.

Irving is currently a restricted free agent with the Cowboys, but that doesn’t mean the Chiefs can’t give him an offer. Most Cowboys sources are projecting them to place a second-round tender on Irving. This means any team in the league can negotiate a contract with him, however, once he accepts the other teams’ offer the Cowboys have a 30-day window in which they can match that deal and sign him. If the Cowboys declined the option to match the offer, they would receive a 2018 second round pick.

While it might seem unlikely that the Cowboys decline to resign an emerging pass rusher, the contract with DeMarcus Lawrence could take priority over it. The Cowboys executive vice president Steven Jones was asked about a possible extension with Irving a few weeks into the offseason and made it sound unlikely anything would get done saying:

"“It’ll be a difficult one and probably, if anything, he needs to put together a full season and consistency and all of that. Obviously [Irving] played outstanding when he was healthy. DeMarcus Lawrence put together a full, great year and obviously that’s important. So therefore, I think it’d be real difficult to figure out something long-term with David.” -Steven Jones"

The Cowboys only have 19 million in cap space according to Over the Cap, and signing the reigning NFL sack leader isn’t cheap. Assuming the Cowboys resign Lawrence, the odds that they would be able to match another team’s offer on Irving is extremely unlikely.

Depending on the moves Brett Veach decides to make this offseason, the Chiefs could have holes along the defensive line. A reunion with David Irving would be a very interesting addition. The importance of having multiple adequate pass rushers was seen by the Chiefs way too often in the 17-18 season. Having multiple guys getting pressure prevents quarterbacks from stepping up or out of the pocket to avoid pressure. In games where the Kansas City pass rush saw pressure from the defensive line (mainly Chris Jones), the exterior guys always did better.

Everyone rushing the passer benefits when others get pressure. Adding Irving to a pass rush already consisting of Justin Houston, Dee Ford in a contract year, and Chris Jones could lead to an increase in production from everyone. Resulting in many more sacks, as well as shortening the time the secondary is forced to cover receivers.

A reunion with Irving could put the pass rush on par with the secondary.

If the Chiefs decide to pursue David Irving, they could have one of the better pass rushing groups in the league—especially coming up the middle, which is what most quarterbacks hate the most. After the trade for Kendall Fuller, the Chiefs secondary looks like it will be a force to be reckoned with. A reunion with Irving could put the pass rush on par with the secondary, leading to a defense that will make Chiefs fans forget about last year’s shortcomings.

One of the many positives to signing Irving is that he’s already been on the team and should be at least familiar with the Chiefs 3-4 system, even though he was only a member of the team for one offseason and 4 preseason games. With the Cowboys, Irving has excelled at his role in their 4-3 scheme, but I believe he would be able to make the switch with success. We have already seen him do well in his limited time with the Chiefs 3-4 defense. Not to mention the Chiefs use their nickel formation a majority of the snaps. In the base nickel scheme, Sutton usually only puts 2 defensive linemen on the field and they’re lined up in the same gaps that a 4-3 defensive lineman would play.

Signing Irving won’t be cheap but it’s definitely possible. It’s hard to guess how much a player will be worth to a certain team but I think he’ll get a similar contract to the Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Geno Atkins. Atkins recorded 7.5 and 12.5 sacks in the 2 years before getting his big extension of 53 million over 5 years. I could see Irving getting slightly less because he didn’t log a full 16 games last season, but I think he’ll earn between 8 and 10 million per season.

In my opinion, signing Irving would easily be worth the contract. The increased pressure that would result across the entire defensive line would make the 10 million worth every penny. And the Chiefs will have enough room to sign him. After the cuts of Darrelle Revis, Derrick Johnson, and the Alex Smith trade, the Chiefs have more than enough money to sign Irving along with a few other people.

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At the end of the day, this is a move that is worth the risk. David Irving is a player who won’t break the bank but could be a key player on the Chiefs defense in the years to come. The addition of a guy who can get lots of pressure up the middle quickly can completely change a defense and the players around him. Even if David Irving accepts the Chiefs offer sheet, there’s no guarantee the Cowboys don’t match it, but if the Chiefs can steal him back from the Cowboys, the defense would be in a position to have one of the more elite pass rushing units in 2018.

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