Getty Veteran NFL pass rusher Melvin Ingram having a good time during practice.
The New York Jets have done some solid work on both sides of the ball through the early portions of free agency.
With the 2022 NFL draft right around the corner, there is still more work to be done on the roster.
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An Interesting Name to Keep an Eye out For
Brad Spielberger recently predicted the best landing spots for the top free agents left on the market for Pro Football Focus.
Veteran pass rusher Melvin Ingram is still available and Spielberger believes the Jets would make a lot of sense.
He is projected to land a one-year deal for $5 million fully guaranteed.
Despite his advanced age (32 will be 33 by the start of the 2022 season), Ingram remains an elite and effective option as an EDGE rusher.
Last season when he got traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, his 77.6 pass-rush grade was the best of anyone on the roster in the playoffs, per PFF.
That wasn’t just a one-year wonder either, Ingram hasn’t had a pass rush grade lower than 70 in nine years.
Ingram initially entered the league as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft out of South Carolina:
- 51 sacks
- Over 119 quarterback hits
- 74 tackles for loss
During that time he has earned three Pro Bowl nominations and has become one of the most underrated pass rushers in football.
You Can Never Have Enough
In an exclusive interview, ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid told me on my YouTube channel that he would employ a “double-dip” strategy in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft at EDGE rusher if he was the Jets.
With how important that position is to head coach Robert Saleh and this defense, that makes a ton of sense.
However, you don’t want to rely solely on the draft to fill the holes on your roster. In an ideal world, you’d like to fill as many voids as possible before the draft to maximize full flexibility on draft day.
With that in mind, adding Ingram can only help your defense.
Melvin Ingram, who is working out with the Dolphins today, is a natural playmaker.
Check out his ability to get off the line quickly and force this fumble against the Broncos last season.
If you sign him to a cheap one-year deal that wouldn’t prevent you from doing whatever the heck you want in the draft. It would simply act as a security net just in case you aren’t able to get who you want in the draft.
Even if the Jets double-dipped at the EDGE rusher spot, they would just have ample bodies to rotate come later this season. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to have some depth, especially considering all the injuries that killed this group last summer.
Back in that 2012 NFL draft, the Jets had the chance to take Ingram, but they selected Quinton Coples out of North Carolina instead with the No. 16 overall pick.
He ended up busting out and Ingram has gone on to have a wonderful career in the pros. While signing him now won’t completely erase that past mistake, at least it’ll help out in 2022.
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