It took the entire offseason but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally added some help on defense. This week the team announced they were signing veteran edge rusher Melvin Ingram just days before the start of training camp.
But in the big picture where does the Ingram signing help and what should fans expect this season? Let’s hand out our grades on this signing.
The reality is the signing is a low-risk selection from a financial standpoint. The Steelers are only on the hook for the one season and being somewhere in the $4 million range is honestly a bargain. Ingram is coming off of an injury and wants to prove at 32 years old he can still play.
Pittsburgh is going to give him that opportunity to prove himself. However, no one should expect Ingram to come in and play a heavy load of snaps this season. If you took this signing to believe Ingram is a 16-game starter who will return to form from 2017 then you are naturally going to think this trade was a waste.
But we are grading the signing a solid B because we think in terms of an upgrade as a rotational edge rusher, Ingram is great. We are banking on Alex Highsmith keeping the starting spot and thriving after the way he played last season. Ingram will be just fine as a rotational reserve and could really provide a spark as an extra rusher. This signing doesn’t fix the problems on the defense and it might not even have been the highest priority but in a vacuum, adding veteran production on a modest contract is always a good idea for a team with its eye on the Super Bowl.
