Steelers visit with Melvin Ingram scheduled for Monday

Over the weekend, it was reported the Steelers had, at least for the moment, moved on from the possibility of signing end rusher Justin Houston and were set to host former Los Angeles Charger Melvin Ingram sometime this week.

Exactly when the meeting was taking place was previously unknown. The Steelers players are reporting for training camp this Thursday, July 22, so a roster move would be better served to happen sooner than later. According to NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport, the meeting with Ingram is today, Monday, July 19.

Melvin Ingram was the first-round selection of the then San Diego Chargers in the 2012 NFL draft. Selected in the 18th position, Ingram has played nine seasons with the Chargers from 2012 through 2020. Earning Pro Bowl selections three straight seasons from 2017 through 2019, Ingram had a rough 2020 where he only appeared in seven games. For his career, Ingram has 49.0 sacks where he had two seasons of double-digit sacks in 2015 and 2017 with 10.5 each season.

Ingram is a player who has had his share of injury troubles in recent years. In 2013 Ingram tore an ACL in his knee, in 2014 he had a tear in his hip joint, in 2019 he had a severe hamstring injury and in 2020 he injured his patellar tendon. Some of those injuries put Ingram on the shelf for just a few weeks, while others ended his season.

Simply because the Steelers are meeting with Ingram does not mean he will land in Pittsburgh for the 2021 season. Not only would it need to be the right fit for the Steelers, it would also have to be what Ingram is looking for at this time. Issues such as playing time and salary would likely be the driving force as to whether or not Ingram feels this is the right situation for him, and the Steelers need to weight the injury, cost, and production factors to decide if he is the player to join the Steelers for the upcoming season.

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