Bruce Irvin's move to Raiders won't impact already low fantasy value

The Oakland Raiders continued their free agent spending spree by signing former Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin to a four-year, $37 million deal. The move came shortly after signing offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.

Irvin will be part of a transition on the Oakland defense from veterans Justin Tuck and Charles Woodson to a supporting cast built around star linebacker Khalil Mack.

Oakland moved fast to replace Aldon Smith, who became a free agent and has a one-year suspension. In Irvin, the Raiders are receiving a much more reliable linebacker to pair with stud pass-rusher Mack.

Irvin recorded positive PFF grades in three of his four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, and he has missed only six games over his career. For Oakland, stability along the defensive front was key, given Tuck’s retirement and Mario Edwards' neck injury. But while the Raiders may be paying Irvin for his experience — and on one of the greatest defenses of this decade, no less — it won’t necessarily translate to individual production.

Irvin has never fared well in traditional IDP stats like tackles and sacks. His career-highs in each are 40 and eight, respectively. That fact shouldn’t change in Oakland where, besides middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, no Raider linebacker had more than 77 tackles and no Raider player had more than four sacks besides Mack.

There is one positive factor that could bode well for Irvin’s fantasy production: His defensive coordinator in Oakland is Ken Norton, Jr., who coached linebackers in Seattle. He also coached Irvin to his best tackle and sack single-season totals, mentioned above. But even if Norton gets a career-year out of Irvin, he’s still well off the IDP radar. This is a move that has much more impact on the field than in your fantasy league.