The Kansas City Chiefs have acquired Melvin Ingram from the Pittsburgh Steelers, CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson confirms. The Chiefs will give up a sixth-round pick to acquire him, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. Ingram has one sack and 10 tackles in six games this season, his first with the Steelers after spending his first nine years with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Ingram was inactive in Week 8 of the season and has reportedly expressed displeasure over his lack of playing time. The four-time Pro Bowler played in 26% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps during Pittsburgh’s Week 7 win over the Seahawks. After starting and playing in each of the Steelers’ defensive snaps during Pittsburgh’s Week 3 loss to the Bengals, Ingram played in 49% and 60% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in its next two games.
Ingram was playing behind starters T.J. Watt and second-year linebacker Alex Highsmith, so a trade appeared imminent if Pittsburgh could get compensation for him (you can keep updated on all the latest moves and rumors before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline in our trade tracker).
The Chiefs needed to bolster their pass rush, having the second-fewest sacks this season (11). With the addition of Ingram, Kansas City can move Chris Jones back to the interior on the majority of the snaps — bolstering the pass rush on the inside and outside. Kansas City would have an outside edge rusher combination of Ingram and Frank Clark, while Jones and Jarran Reed would man the inside.
A popular player in the Chargers locker room for many seasons, Ingram has earned three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances while combining for 24.5 sacks from 2017 to 2019. Injuries have limited Ingram’s production since, as he’s had one sack since the start of the 2020 season. Despite the injuries, Ingram has 217 pressures and 33.5 sacks since the start of the 2016 season — both ranked in the top-35 in the NFL.
Ingram has half a season remaining on a one-year, $4 million deal he signed this offseason with Pittsburgh.
