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The Kansas City Chiefs just made a big move for their playoff aspirations, trading away a sixth-round pick for 3-time Pro-Bowler Melvin Ingram.
The Melvin Ingram Chiefs trade looks to fix a league-worst defense that has struggled to put pressure on their rivals all year long. As for the veteran linebacker, he’ll get a fresh start after struggling to get playing time under Mike Tomlin’s tutelage.
Apparently, Ingram quietly asked the Steelers to find him a trade. He was frustrated with the lack of playing time and wanted to make the most of his age-32 season.
“The Chiefs and Steelers engaged in trade talks in the past couple of weeks, but initially the Steelers opted to hold on to their pass-rusher in hopes they could find a suitor that wasn’t in the AFC. But the market never materialized, and Pittsburgh granted Ingram’s trade request by sending him to Kansas City,” reported Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
Can the Steelers keep up in the AFC North?
It’s not like Melvin Ingram was having a huge role for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then again, their defense has been the only thing keeping them competitive this season and their linebacker depth was pretty thin even before this move. Only time will tell whether they’ll be able to keep up the pace is yet to be seen.
The Steelers just elevated Taco Charlton from the practice squad. He and Derrek Tuszka will serve as the team’s backup at outside linebacker behind superstar T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. That may not be enough to compete in the league’s most physical division.
Even though they still beat them last week, the Cleveland Browns are better built for the playoffs. Also, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are legit contenders, so maybe the Steelers are already thinking ahead to the future and not focusing on this season.
Will it be enough to turn the Chiefs around?
The Kansas City Chiefs had just 8 sacks through 7 games before getting to Daniel Jones three times on Monday night. They had the worst defensive unit in the National Football League prior to this trade, and I hate to break it to them, but a 32-year-old Melvin Ingram may not be enough to turn things around.
Even though their biggest issue has been getting stops, their offense hasn’t executed as well as it used to, either. Patrick Mahomes is trying to do way too much on every single snap. He’s not getting enough protection, and Tyreek Hill has dropped a lot of passes.
The Melvin Ingram Chiefs trade should solve some of their issues at the linebacker spot. He’ll certainly bring plenty of energy and veteran leadership to their shaky front seven. But Andy Reid may need to make even more moves before the deadline if they want to make a late push for the playoffs.
The Denver Broncos are pretty much out of contention but both the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers have fared much better than Kansas City this season. Maybe it’s just too little, too late.
