Five things to know about new Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher Melvin Ingram
The Chiefs were buyers at the NFL trade deadline, acquiring Steelers edge rusher Melvin Ingram ahead of the 3 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
Here are five things to know about the newest Chiefs player:
1. No member of the Chiefs has more career sacks than Ingram
But one player does equal his total.
Ingram has 50 career sacks, the first 49 coming with the Chargers and one this year, his first season with the Steelers. That immediately makes him the most accomplished pass rusher on the Chiefs defensive line — tied with Frank Clark.
Barely. Clark got his 50th career sack on the final defensive snap of Monday’s win against the Giants.
The Chiefs plan to pair Clark and Ingram on opposite edges of the defensive line, as part of a rotation that also includes Mike Danna and Alex Okafor.
Chris Jones, if you’re wondering, has 43 1/2 career sacks.
2. Ingram’s best work has come against the AFC West’s first-place team
Ingram had 8 1/2 career sacks against the Chiefs since coming into the league as a first-round draft pick with the Chargers in 2012, so they know him well.
But his most productive days are against the Raiders, who currently occupy first place in the division. Ingram has 10 career sacks against the Raiders.
The trade makes for good timing then — the Chiefs travel to Las Vegas in two weeks and play host to the Raiders three weeks later.
3. Injuries have been a factor recently, but Ingram is still showing signs of productivity
A pair of knee injuries landed Ingram on injured reserve not once but twice in 2020, his ninth and final season with the Chargers. He played just seven games and did not have a sack, which affected his market in the offseason.
Ingram also missed Sunday’s game against the Browns (as it turns out, his final week as a member of the Steelers) with a groin injury.
He has only one sack this season, but Pro Football Focus credits him with 18 quarterback pressures in six games. In fact, his 12.9% pressure rate is better than his career average of 12.8% and better than any of the edge rushers currently on the Chiefs roster, per PFF’s Eric Eager.
4. He’s collected accolades every step of his career
Ingram was a four-star linebacker out of high school. He attended South Carolina, where he was an All-American edge rusher as a senior, recording 10 sacks and even scoring three touchdowns.
In the NFL, he’s a three-time Pro Bowl selection — three consecutive seasons from 2017-19. In 2018, the players voted him to the NFL’s Top 100 list, where he checked in at 76th on the list.
5. Ingram doesn’t shy away from lofty expectations.
In fact, he often sets them.
In 2019, Ingram told the L.A. Times that the Chargers were “the team to beat in the NFL, not just the AFC West.” He also said the Chargers were “definitely going to win the Super Bowl.”
Well, it all comes full circle. Ingram is now on the roster for the team that did win the Super Bowl that year. The Chargers finished 5-11 that season.