Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images Melvin Ingram of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up before a game against the Raiders at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 22, 2019 in Carson, California.
The most painstaking part about the Kansas City Chiefs’ deadline trade for Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Melvin Ingram was the Chiefs’ inability to sign Ingram this past offseason, thus forcing them to give up draft capital in order to bring him aboard.
Ingram, 32, was a free agent this offseason, and traveled to Kansas City for a visit on March 24, according to Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star. However, he left Missouri with no deal and remained a free agent until July 20, which is when he signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, per Pro Football Reference.
So why was it that Ingram, whose one-year deal with the Steelers was for just $4 million, decided to not join the defending AFC champions during the offseason? The three-time Pro Bowler detailed his decision during his first press conference as a member of the Chiefs on Thursday, November 4.
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Ingram: God Has a Plan for Me
While Ingram didn’t totally shed light on why exactly he didn’t sign with Kansas City, he put his journey that started with the Steelers and now the Chiefs this season into what he called “God’s plan.”
“I don’t know, I guess God always got a plan and he brings you where he wants to bring you, when he wants to bring you. So, I just feel like he had a plan for me,” Ingram said when asked why he didn’t sign with Kansas City during the offseason.
Head coach Andy Reid was also asked why Ingram ended up leaving Kansas City without a deal this offseason, for which Big Red gave little explanation.
“He just ended up going somewhere else,” Reid said during his press conference on Wednesday, November 3. “That’s how this works sometimes.”
Reid, Spags on Ingram’s Week 9 Availability
During the same press conference, Reid was asked if he believed Ingram would be ready in time for the Chiefs’ Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers.
“We’ll see how it goes. We’re not going to put him in a bad situation,” Reid explained. “He just got here and he was able to sit in on the meetings, but he just got here late last night and kind of got cranking this morning. So, we’ll see how he picks things up and where he feels comfortable. With these veteran guys, they’ll let you know if you keep open communication with them.”
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo echoed similar remarks to Reid when asked about Ingram’s Week 9 availability.
“I think there’s always a chance because he’s a veteran,” Spags said. “I think he’s very intelligent, a smart football player, that’s what it feels like to me, but don’t know yet. Then you’ve got to have the whole how many are you going to have on that gameday roster. So, we’ll figure it out in time.”
Based on Kansas City’s playoff chances dwindling as they sit at 4-4 and are in third place in the AFC West, it would not be surprising at all to see Ingram suit up against the Packers. Though he likely wouldn’t earn a large share of reps, he could be used situationally, which is likely how he will be used once he’s caught up to speed, but in a lesser fashion than he would be once he learns the playbook fully.
The inactives list, which is released 90 minutes prior to kickoff, will be our way of knowing whether Ingram will make his Chiefs debut in Week 9.