Chargers news: Melvin Ingram meets with Pittsburgh Steelers
By Jason Reed
Editor's update: Ian Rapoport reported at 12:56 p.m. PST that the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a one-year contract with Melvin Ingram.
Some fans have been waiting for the LA Chargers news that Melvin Ingram re-signed with the Bolts. However, the other side of the coin seems increasingly more likely as Ingram has met with multiple teams that are not the Chargers.
The newest team added to that list is the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers hosted Ingram on Monday as they look to fill a hole on the defense.
Rapoport also reported that Ingram is also getting interest from the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs may make more sense on paper as they previously met with Ingram earlier in the offseason and may be more interested in him now with Frank Clark facing up to three years in prison on a felony weapons possession charge.
The Steelers are the new team in the mix, though, as they also have one of the best defenses in the entire league. While Ingram is no longer in his prime, he would make the Steelers' great defense even better.
Chargers news: How Melvin Ingram would fit in the Pittsburgh Steelers defense
The Steelers run a 3-4 defensive scheme which is something that Ingram has not played for several years. While the Chargers are going back to a 3-4 scheme this season, the Chargers have not run a 3-4 scheme since early in Ingram's career.
In fact, Ingram really started to blossom when the switch was made to a 4-3 defense. Ingram was being misused when he was an outside linebacker and putting him at defensive end as a dedicated pass rusher really helped his cause.
That does not mean that he is destined to fail in a 3-4 defense, particularly with how the Steelers would likely use him.
Pittsburgh already has a great pass rush and one of the best edge rushers in the entire league in T.J. Watt. Watt is the weakside linebacker in the Steelers' defense, with there being an opportunity for Ingram to get plenty of snaps as the strongside linebacker. The Steelers have options there, but they are not particularly exciting.
Ingram would give the team a veteran to throw into the rotation at the position. A rotational strongside linebacker gig would be perfect for Ingram at this stage in his career as he could focus on simply being a pass-rusher and would have a much easier time than if he was brought in to be a weakside linebacker.
He is not going to play nearly as many snaps as he used to but we could really see Ingram have some big moments in this role with the Steelers. He would also be a great veteran presence for Quincy Roche and the rest of the young players on that defensive front.
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As painful as this Chargers news is, Melvin Ingram is a great fit on the Pittsburgh Steelers.