Steelers could put heat on KC Chiefs for Melvin Ingram’s services
By Matt Conner
If the Kansas City Chiefs are interested in signing a pass rusher to bolster the edge heading into training camp, then they might want to act fast. The Pittsburgh Steelers are circling in the same waters and are looking at some of the same veterans often linked with the Chiefs in rumors—including former L.A. Chargers pass rusher Melvin Ingram.
According to Jason La Canfora, Ingram is set to take a visit with the Steelers this coming week as training camp nears. La Canfora also notes that there are “possibly others” set for further visits and that Justin Houston has already came and went.
The Chiefs had Ingram in at Arrowhead back at the end of March for a free agent visit, but the meeting came and went without any further action on either side. Ingram has also visited the Miami Dolphins in the same way, so it’s not as if the market has been hot around him.
The Steelers are hosting Melvin Ingram for a visit.
That said, the Chiefs’ interest in a player like Ingram (or the pass rusher market in general) could have been altered in recent days given the legal issues surrounding Frank Clark. Clark is a cornerstone at defensive end who could face a potential suspension to start the year depending on how felony charges play out for possession of an assault weapon. He was recently charged with a felony for an arrest back in March and he was recently arrested again last month in California for the same.
It’s very possible that the Chiefs won’t punish Clark in any way and that the matter will settle itself legally. Still even with Clark, the Chiefs look thin on paper. There’s time to let competition see what Taco Charlton, Tim Ward, Mike Danna, and Joshua Kaindoh can do opposite Clark, but adding a veteran like Ingram makes a lot more sense than not for a Super Bowl team like the Chiefs. Let’s not forget the regular season is now 17 games long.
As for whether Ingram is the right player for the Chiefs or Steelers, it’s going to come down to how he’s looking in his rehabilitation from a knee injury that placed him on injured reserve for two separate stints just last year.
Ingram has 49 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in his NFL career, all with the Chargers.
Next. Offensive players to watch in training camp. dark