Getty The latest on Melvin Ingram in free agency could be bad news for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins willingly, but now the potential AFC challenger could poach away another KC favorite in Melvin Ingram.
The veteran free-agent edge rusher spent a much shorter period playing for Chiefs Kingdom but became popular all the same. Now, according to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Ingram “is visiting” with the Dolphins today on April 12.
Interesting free agent visit for the #Dolphins: Former #Chiefs pass-rusher Melvin Ingram is visiting today, per me and @TomPelissero. He came on strong last year in KC, now a potential addition in Miami.
“He came on strong last year in KC, now a potential addition in Miami,” Rapoport added.
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Is an Ingram Return in KC’s Plans?
During the postseason on January 19, Ingram told reporters that he has a “desire” to re-sign with the Chiefs, but that he doesn’t like to look “too far ahead in the future.”
General manager Brett Veach also appeared interested in a reunion during his end-of-year press conference, noting: “I don’t think it was a fluke the defense took off [after acquiring Ingram]. We had a really good string of late-season football, and I think he was a huge part of that.”
#Chiefs GM Brett Veach on acquiring Melvin Ingram: “I don’t think it was a fluke the defense took off from there…He’s still of interest to us.”
The GM added: “With Melvin, I think it will be very similar to last year. I think he’ll be a guy that will want to take his time. He’s played a lot of snaps, still a productive player, still can help the team, still would be of interest to us. I think he’ll go through the process of taking some time and getting with his family and seeing where he wants to play and what makes sense for him. But I do think if a guy like Melvin decides he wants to come back and play, I think that we would be at the top of his list, and that’s something we’ll work to keep the dialogue open with.”
After that, we didn’t hear too much chatter on Ingram, who has been loosely connected to the Indianapolis Colts due to coaching ties with Gus Bradley — the new Indy defensive coordinator. The edge rusher market has been slow to develop, being that it’s such a deep draft class at the position.
It’s certainly possible that the Chiefs were planning to wait until after the draft to make a final decision on Ingram. This Miami visit could throw a wrench in those plans, however, as the veteran actively searches for the best possible deal.
With Hill already making the move to South Beach, why not Ingram? The Dolphins run an aggressive 3-4 front under DC Josh Boyer and bring a ton of pass rushers into the box on blitz packages. Ingram would likely join a rotation of EDGEs that includes Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah among others.
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First-Round EDGE Incoming?
After the aforementioned trade of Hill to Miami, the Chiefs now have back-to-back first-round picks to work with at the tail-end of day one. Many believe Veach will target the wide receiver position with one of those selections, but the other is expected to bolster the defensive side.
There are a few ways that Kansas City could go about this. The likeliest routes are probably edge rusher or defensive back, just based on rumors and team needs. Of course, the Chiefs could also draft a defensive tackle or linebacker, in theory.
The point is, there are plenty of holes on the defensive side and one of these first-rounders should account for that. As we know, there are a plethora of pass rushers in this class. Does that mean the Chiefs wait on EDGE until round two?
Let’s discuss edge rushers available in this year’s Draft.
Veach could also double-dip at the position with a surplus of picks.
Any supplements in the draft would obviously lessen the blow of an Ingram departure. Getting younger is never a bad thing, but you can’t put a value on experience.