NFL Trade Deadline: Why did the Chiefs trade for Melvin Ingram?
Melvin Ingram has realized his wish to play for a different team other than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ingram was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs Tuesday, ahead of the NFL's 4 p.m. trade deadline.
Ingram signed a one-year deal with the Steelers this offseason. He played the role of giving T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith a rest in rotating snaps. But Ingram wasn't receiving as much playing time as he expected and voiced his displeasure with the Steelers as a result.
Now Ingram joins the Chiefs, who were in desperate need of help with their pass rush.
Why did the Chiefs trade for Melvin Ingram at the NFL trade deadline?
The Chiefs traded for Ingram on Tuesday because their defense has been one of the NFL's worst. Their front-seven have struggled mightily to get to the quarterback.
Before Week 8, the Chiefs were last in sacks with eight. They sacked Daniel Jones three times in Week 8 but still rank tied for 31st.
Melvin Ingram had quietly asked to be traded and Pittsburgh accomodated. Now, he lands in KC, which had held talks with the #Steelers for the last few weeks. twitter.com/RapSheet/statu…
Ingram will play on the defensive end opposite Frank Clark. The move allows the Chiefs' best defensive player, Chris Jones, to move back to defensive tackle.
Jones is better suited for that position, so everyone on the Chiefs defensive line wins.
Stats haven't told the whole story for Melvin Ingram this year. He may only have one sack, but he's got a good amount of pressure on quarterbacks in his 140 pass-rush snaps.
Pro Football Focus has graded his pass-rush ability an 82.1.
Meanwhile, the Steelers lost their most critical depth player defensively. The Steelers rank 11th in sacks, with 19 on the year.
Watt and Highsmith will now have more pressure on them than when Ingram was there.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the winners of this trade.
The Chiefs walk away from this trade as the biggest winners. They only had to give up a sixth-round pick for the three-time Pro-Bowler, who has 50 career sacks.
Ingram is hardly owed any money by the Chiefs, as the Steelers paid half of his total contract as a signing bonus.
The #Chiefs are about to acquire Melvin Ingram at $597,222 for the rest of the year... twitter.com/JosinaAnderson…
The Chiefs are 4-4 and are in the middle of a stacked AFC playoff race. The Las Vegas Raiders are in control of the AFC West with a 5-2 record.
But the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, who should break out of his slump at any time.
After this trade, the Chiefs are a better team than they've been all season. Ingram may not be the double-digit sack machine he once was, but he has a lot of gas left in the tank.
For only giving up a sixth-round pick, this trade is a big victory for the Chiefs.