The Chiefs acquired three time pro bowl defensive end Melvin Ingram on Tuesday. Could it be the trade that changes everything? We discuss.
The Kansas City Chiefs finally got their man.
After coming up empty during the offseason after a free agent visit, the Chiefs were finally able to land Melvin Ingram. Ingram signed a one-year, $4,000,000 deal with the Steelers after spending nine seasons with the Chargers earlier this summer. During the course of his career, Ingram has amassed 50 sacks, 114 quarterback hits, 72 tackles for a loss, and 270 solo tackles.
Now, after a six game stint with the Steelers, Ingram is headed to the Chiefs in exchange for a 6th round pick. At 32, Ingram may no longer be in his prime, but he may be just what the Chiefs defense needs to become relevant once more.
What does adding Melvin Ingram mean for the defense?
Adding Ingram to this defense likely makes at least one major impact:; Chris Jones moving back to the interior. When Jones lined up inside against the Giants, the team’s pass rush looked greatly improved. In addition to this, Frank Clark made a real impact on the game as a disruptor as well . Despite being a target of ridicule this season, Clark made an undeniable impact in the Chiefs pass rush on Monday night.
Now, with Ingram in the fold, if healthy, he will likely take over the starting defensive end spot opposite of Frank Clark. The trio of Jones, Clark, and Ingram could have a much larger impact than what those expect. For one thing, it could completely change a broken pass rush.
The Chiefs are currently sitting at 30th in the NFL in sacks. What is staggering about this statistic is that they could easily be in last place if not for playing one more game than the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. Adding Ingram makes them much more disruptive and you could see a 180 degree turnaround if Ingram is playing at his best.
In terms of rush defense, Ingram is no slouch either. In just six games and one start this year for the Steelers, Ingram has two tackles for a loss. While this isn’t a world-beating stat, it could easily help the Chiefs out on early downs so that they can pin their ears back on 3rd-and-long.
A little bit of defensive optimism
The Chiefs are still not a very good football team. It seems like they cannot get out of their own way. They can have a great offensive game and struggle defensively or vice versa. Turnovers are still an issue. That being said, Ingram added to the defense gives reason for optimism.
As aforementioned, there are a couple of areas that Ingram will improve for the Chiefs. Not great improvements necessarily, but improvements nonetheless. Now, if you take into account how the Chiefs have performed defensively in their last six quarters of football, the defense could be trending in the right direction.
With the defensive line getting an upgrade as Jones moves inside, the linebackers have shown more capabilities than the Chiefs have seen in several seasons. Willie Gay’s speed in chasing down runners and pass coverage was noticeable and brought back good memories of Derrick Johnson. Nick Bolton’s presence at middle linebacker has changed the complexion of the Kansas City run defense.
The coverage, outside of Daniel Sorensen, has not been bad. In fact, they have been in good position for the most part against the pass. All of this is to say that maybe, just maybe, Melvin Ingram is the missing piece that will spring the defense into relevancy once more.