RENTON, Wash. -- It’s hard to tell who is more exciting about Bruce Irvin coming off of suspension, Irvin or Seattle Seahawks linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr.

Norton was asked if Irvin will make a difference for the Seahawks' defense.

“Absolutely,’’ he said. “I’m mean, that’s Bruce Irvin, a first-round pick. That guy does everything. They are going to be chanting his name. You are going to see what we’ve been missing.”

Norton believes Irvin is a bit of a changed man since his four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

“He really understands what he did wrong, and he’s very happy to be back,” Norton said. “Sometimes absence make the heart grow fonder. He appreciates this game a little bit more. He was in the building at 6 [Wednesday morning] studying. It’s great to see him with that type of attitude. Sometimes things have to happen to you in life to appreciate it.”

Norton said the team has no plans to ease Irvin into the mix.

“We’re gonna put him right in there,” he said. “There’s no waiting. He’s gonna jump right in there and we’re exciting to get him going. It’s like having a new toy.”

But Irvin, who led all rookies last season with eight sacks, is learning a new position, moving from defensive end to strongside linebacker.

“This is his first year playing linebacker, so there’s still some development,'’ Norton said. “But when you look up 'linebacker' in the dictionary, his face shows up. He’s gonna do it all. He’s gonna rush the passer, he’ll play the run and he’ll be buzzing to the flat and flying around. We’re expecting a lot of him. We have a plan for him and he’s gonna shine.”

Seahawks sign a quarterback from the 49ers: The Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers are now even this fall when it comes to claiming each other’s draft choices.

Seattle now has a third quarterback, having claimed rookie B.J. Daniels, the 49ers' seventh-round draft pick out of South Florida, off of waivers Wednesday. To make room, the Seahawks released rookie linebacker John Lotulelei.

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear the 49ers valued Daniels and his future with the team, and had every intention of signing him to their practice squad. “We have a plan for him,” Harbaugh said.

Apparently, so do the Seahawks, and they know the feeling of losing a guy they wanted to keep around. Before the season began, Seattle released receiver Chris Harper, a fourth-round draft pick, hoping to add him to the practice squad. But the 49ers added him to their 53-man roster.