Melvin Ingram trade changes a few things for KC Chiefs
By Matt Conner
On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach made his second trade deadline deal since first taking the job back in 2017. He approved the swap of a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for edge rusher Melvin Ingram. Just like that, the defensive front was bolstered and several elements were affected with Veach finally getting a pass rusher with whom he’d flirted for months.
The Chiefs first invited Ingram to come and visit for a free agent workout back in March, but the former Chargers veteran came and went without a contract offer. It was impossible to tell at the moment what went wrong, but the Chiefs maintained a watchful eye on Ingram since reports emerged in mid-July that the team was still not out of the running to sign him.
The Steelers ended up convincing Ingram to sign before training camp began which meant the Chiefs came up empty in their pursuit of Ingram—that is, until now.
The Melvin Ingram trade is going to affect a few more players and personnel decisions for the Kansas City Chiefs going forward.
The acquisition of Ingram is going to alter a number of things for the Chiefs. Here are some takeaways in how we think the trade will affect things going forward.
Chris Jones staying inside
Throughout this season, we’ve seen Chris Jones play outside as well as inside in the hopes of earning more playing time on the edge and showing what he can do as a standard pass rusher lining out wide. The problem is that the learning curve often left the Chiefs hanging defensively, especially in early-season contests in which running right at Jones proved to be too much to handle (e.g. Baltimore Ravens).
The experimentation with Jones sounded like an intriguing concept on paper, but it was also frustrating for fans who knew that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and that Jones is simply the best interior disruptor in the AFC. The phrase “don’t mess with a good thing” exists for a reason, and it felt like the Chiefs were toying just to toy.
The trade for Ingram not only adds another veteran edge rusher for the team to rely upon, but it also seems like a bit of a wall to keep Jones from having to line out wide. Instead, the team can keep him inside on the majority of downs where he can wreak havoc as usual—something we saw happen in the team’s recent win over the Giants.