Steelers deal All-Pro linebacker to Kansas City
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded veteran linebacker Melvin Ingram III on Tuesday to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The 10-year vet will go to Kansas City in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
In the prime of his career, Ingram was one of the best pass rushers in the league. He’s now 32 years old, and it’s a fair question to ask if he can return to his once-dominant form on a consistent basis. The former South Carolina standout has racked up 370 tackles in his 10 years in the NFL thus far.
He’s only started one game in 2021 for the Steelers and he clearly wanted to go to a place where he can get more playing time. The Chiefs are struggling this season with a 4-4 record.
Ingram has been dealing with a groin injury recently and the team downgraded his status to out on Saturday afternoon. The Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 15-10 without him and moved to 4-3 on the year.
Melvin Ingram at South Carolina
Ingram displayed his freakish levels of athleticism when he was at South Carolina and had one of the more incredible fake punt plays by a defensive player in college football history.
How many other times do you remember a defensive end taking a fake punt 68 yards for a touchdown? Not many, that’s for certain. That’s not even mentioning he’s over 270 pounds and running that fast with the football. Simply incredible. His 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine was listed at 4.69, but clearly he had more field speed than his forty time.
While he was with the Gamecocks, Ingram demonstrated his top-notch pass rushing ability, racking up 21.5 sacks. His final two seasons at South Carolina were his most productive years. He racked up 19 sacks in his junior and senior season alone. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2012 NFL Draft with the 18th overall selection. Ingram is a native of Hamlet, North Carolina and attended Richmond County High School.