The NFL’s 2021 trade deadline is set for 4 pm eastern time on Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday morning before the buzzer, the Kansas City Chiefs made a trade to add a veteran defender. Pass rusher Melvin Ingram has been acquired by Kansas City. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs will be sending a sixth round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in return.
This is a player-team fit that has felt likely at different periods of the 2021 season. As we will talk about later on, it felt like Ingram may have been donning the Chiefs’ red and gold much earlier than now. Nonetheless, the South Carolina product and former first round pick of the Chargers is now back in the AFC West division.
What does this acquisition mean for the Chiefs and their 2021 playoff hopes? What style of play is the team receiving when adding Melvin Ingram? Plus, what other questions surrounding the defense are addressed by adding this pass rusher to the fold?
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Better Late Than Never?
There was certainly mutual interest between Kansas City and Ingram earlier this offseason. Back in March, the defender visited and met with the team. He left the Chiefs building without a deal, however. Some of the subsequent moves did not make as much sense for the team overall. Additionally, it came as a shock as to how little money Ingram signed for on a one year contract with Pittsburgh ($4 million).
What originally felt like a steal for the Steelers, quickly flipped into a disgruntled depth addition. Ingram had been wanting to be either traded or released by the team for a few weeks. Due to a lack of playing time (one start), Ingram was ready for a fresh start. He was stuck behind younger options in Pittsburgh like Alex Highsmith. He finished his Steeler tenure having played in six total games. Ingram accounted for 18 pressures, six quarterback hits, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.
Consequently, this is considered to be a low risk-high reward type of move for Kansas City. Ingram could boom as a featured part of the pass rush. The Chiefs will only have to pay him a little under $600,000 for the rest of the season as well. Pittsburgh will eat the rest of the $4 million owed to him. And the draft pick moved to get Ingram held little to no value.
Style Of Play
For many years, Melvin Ingram terrorized the Chiefs offensive line and the rest of the AFC West. He probably would not be classified as a true speed rusher. However, Ingram’s quickness and ability to fire off of the line of scrimmage seemed to often catch opposing quarterbacks off guard. He can win as both a stand up pass rusher or with his hand in the dirt. Either way, Ingram’s get off is something that Kansas City has not consistently had on the edge of the defensive line in recent years.
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Moreover, this pass rusher has had a successful career because of the myriad of counter moves in his toolbox. Ingram has won with a swift spin move, a swim move and a bull rush move most often. Opposing offensive linemen do not just have to worry about his quickness at the point of attack. His hands are heavy and active. Keeping those larger mitts rolling has led to blockers losing their leverage, while also allowing for missteps and badly placed hands during block attempts.
Finally, Melvin Ingram has always shown a sneaky good nose for the football. The Chargers would occasionally have him drop back into coverage. His focus and awareness of the ball and where opposing pass catchers were hoping to attack was usually stout. This helped lead to interceptions or tipped balls. Ingram has a solid feel for timing quicker passes at the line of scrimmage and batting them to the turf.
What Does Trade Mean For Chiefs?
Defensive Line Improvement?
The addition of Melvin Ingram does not fix all of the issues for Kansas City. Their pass rush has been abysmal throughout most of the season. But, this move may not just be beneficial for Ingram while he gets a fresh start. The Chiefs entire defensive line could theoretically benefit from the move entirely.
Frank Clark has had some of his better pass rush reps over the last few games. For example, his pressure rate on the season is up to 11.32 percent. Clark also registered five pressures in last night’s win over the Giants, including the game winning pressure to seal the game. Meanwhile, the Chris Jones defensive end experiment had run its course. He was already starting to play more reps inside in recent games. Last night, Jones played 28 of 42 snaps at defensive tackle. He will now get to play inside exclusively with Ingram in the fold.
Bottom Line
The bottom line for the Chiefs, is that they are getting more speed in their pass rush. Getting home to the quarterback earlier has been a focal point for the last few weeks. Melvin Ingram has the size and heavy hands that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo gravitates toward. To boot, there may be more one on one opportunities for the defensive line to exploit. Kansas City could alternatively run more blitz calls week to week. They could also show more wrinkles in their formations and alignments.
Ingram is also highly motivated, given his limited usage in Pittsburgh. This move will not entirely change the defense. Though, Kansas City’s defense has shown a greater backbone and tougher mindset in recent weeks. Can that increased cohesion continue? Ingram will be determined to make that happen.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.