Getty Former Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram could be a solid addition to the Seattle Seahawks.
If there is one area for the Seattle Seahawks to address ahead of training camp, it is improving the team’s pass rush. The good news is there are several veteran free agents who remain available. One name to watch is three-time Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram.
The defender notched six sacks, 22 tackles, 10 quarterbacks hits, 7 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries during 17 appearances last season for the Dolphins. After nine seasons with the Chargers, Ingram played for the Chiefs and Steelers in 2021 before joining Miami last offseason.
Seattle could likely sign Ingram to a bit of a bargain contract. During the peak of his career, Ingram signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Chargers in 2017. Since then, Ingram inked a series of one-year, $4 million deals with the Steelers and Dolphins.
According to Spotrac, the Seahawks have a projected $8.6 million in remaining cap space. This is enough for Seattle to sign Ingram and potentially make another addition heading into training camp. In addition to Ingram, some of the available free agent pass rushers include Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney and Justin Houston.
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Melvin Ingram forces the fumble on Melvin Gordon 😱 @brgridiron
Chiefs returns it 86 yards
(via @NFL)
Ingram could be a solid rotational pass rusher for the Seahawks despite being 34 years old. Seattle opted not to select one of the top pass rushers in the first round by taking cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks addressed the position in the second round by selecting former Auburn standout Derick Hall with the No. 37 overall pick.
Seattle also landed former Michigan defensive end Mike Morris in the fifth round. The Seahawks focused on the interior of the defensive line in free agency with their big offseason signing being Dre’mont Jones. The former Broncos pass rusher has flexibility to play inside and outside.
The Seahawks also re-signed Jarran Reed after brief stints with the Chiefs and Packers. Seattle did not make a major move addressing the outside of their defensive line but signed former second-round pick Mario Edwards Jr.
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Devon Witherspoon (@DevonWitherspo1) is PUMPED to play with newest #Seahawks playmaker @jaxon_smith1: “That’s live! I gotta go talk to him.” #gohawks #nfldraft #OhioState
Seattle is hoping that by improving the team’s secondary the defensive line will also be more impactful in 2023. Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen are the projected starting corners, but Michael Jackson, Coby Bryant and Tre Brown are also fighting for snaps. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll believes this could be the strongest secondary unit the team has had during his tenure.
“That’s [cornerbacks] a good group,” Carroll told reporters on June 8. “Coby’s got stuff to do for us, too. So, it’s going to be a real battle in camp and I hope everybody stays healthy, so they can put their best foot forward and all that.
“But this is as competitive as we’ve been in a long time, and we expect to call on those guys. They’re going to be covering people. They’re going to be working hard. They’re going to be in match-ups and all the press stuff that we work so hard at and all that.”