It’s weird seeing number 24 on the defensive line. Thanks to the new numbering system in the NFL, it looks like a defensive back is lined up in the wrong spot. But let’s be honest, Chiefs Kingdom has come to love seeing that out-of-place number bookending Chris Jones (with Frank Clark on the other side) every single week since the trade deadline.
Number 24 is, of course, Melvin Ingram, whom the Chiefs traded for at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Considering how well Ingram has played the last several weeks, it’s pretty baffling that two organizations made such head-scratching moves with him.
First, the Chiefs opted not to sign Ingram in the offseason, even though there was rumored interest. Ingram instead signed with the Steelers where he apparently didn’t fit in as well as the team had hoped. By midseason, Ingram had been curiously benched, and the Chiefs looked like they had made the right decision by not signing him in the first place. They then took advantage of this situation by trading for Ingram for a measly 6th round pick next year.
Now Ingram’s play has the Steelers looking like fools for trading him, and the Chiefs look like fools for not signing him before the season.
Even though the Ingram acquisition appears to be paying off for the Chiefs, it’s actually kind of rare to see something like this work out. During Andy Reid‘s tenure as head coach, the team has tried to sign several ‘star’ players in the middle of the season before, but none of them have really panned out.
Darrelle Revis was the hotshot corner in his prime who came to the Chiefs in 2017 in the twilight of his career but didn’t make much of an impact.
Terrell Suggs got picked up off of waivers in 2019, and while he didn’t make a huge splash, he did contribute to the team’s Super Bowl win that year.
Shady McCoy was also signed that year (albeit just before the season started), and while he had some cool highlights, he ended up inactive for most of the Chiefs’ playoff run, including the Super Bowl.
Last year, the team traded for running back Le’Veon Bell and that ended up probably being the worst midseason pickup the Chiefs have had under Reid. Bell found himself benched by the end of the year, and his trash talk of one of the best head coaches in the league afterward showed that it wasn’t ever a great relationship.
Even this year, Josh Gordon was also signed midseason and he hasn’t quite panned out the way the offense had hoped for either. Although, after that performance against the Raiders, maybe his production will be finally jumpstarted (after a brief stay on the COVID list of course…)
I remember when the Chiefs started “attracting” big-name players (even if they were past their prime), and thinking that was so cool. Other teams always got the big-name players. Never the Chiefs—until the Reid era. Then players actually wanted to play here. Overall though, the Chiefs haven’t had a great run when it comes to in-season acquisitions, but Melvin Ingram seems to be the one who might break the ‘curse’. If helps us when the Super Bowl I will officially lobby for 24 to be considered a ‘D-line’ number.