CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, signed as a free agent during the offseason to help the Carolina Panthers transition to a 3-4 front, will make his 2019 debut on Sunday at Houston after missing the first three games with a hamstring injury.
He will join a unit that with eight sacks in Sunday's 38-20 victory over Arizona is tied with Green Bay for second in the NFL in sacks with 12. Jacksonville and New England lead the way with 13.
The 31-year-old will face a quarterback in Deshaun Watson who has been sacked 12 times, the third most in the league behind Tennessee's Marcus Mariota (17) and Arizona's Kyler Murray (16).