After months of flirting with the idea of adding Melvin Ingram to the roster, the Kansas City Chiefs finally found a way to bring the veteran pass rusher on board by sending a sixth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange before the league’s trade deadline at 4:00 p.m. E.T. on Tuesday.
The Chiefs have been connected with Ingram in rumors in the weeks leading up to the NFL trade deadline for myriad reasons, both because they showed in interest in him as a free agent this offseason and also because the team has been lacking enough production from its edge rushers through the first half of the season.
Ingram initially visited the Chiefs back in March as a free agent in the open market trying to find his first home away from the Chargers. The visit came and went without a contract offer, and it was impossible to tell why an agreement wasn’t reached.
The Chiefs have added Melvin Ingram after months of rumors.
Even as training camp neared, the Chiefs were reportedly still in the mix to add Ingram then, but a few days later the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up signing him. The Chiefs responded immediately by re-signing veteran Alex Okafor to a one-year deal.
Ingram is healthy this year after struggling last season with injuries (he played in only 7 games) but he’s lost his starting role with a new team and has turned into a rarely used rotational player outside for the Steelers. He has only 10 tackles and 1 sack in 6 games this season.
The move is important for a couple reasons for the Chiefs. First, it signals to any doubters that the Chiefs are all in on the present season and that they remain undeterred in their goals by their current 4-4 or struggles against teams over .500 (against which they are 0-4). Second, it should give defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo another player to push the pocket after watching disappointing turns (or dealing with injuries) from Okafor, Frank Clark, and others.