PITTSBURGH — Melvin Ingram didn’t receive any promises from the Steelers when he signed a one-year, $4 million deal last week. The newest outside linebacker on the roster figures he’ll just show up every day and let the coaches figure out where to play him.
It’s a nice problem for the Steelers, who desperately needed another outside linebacker. Now it’s up to head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler to get creative and find playing time for three players that are all capable of being starters.
“We didn’t discuss roles,” Ingram said Saturday afternoon following practice on the third day of training camp. “They just said come in and work hard and everything will take care of itself. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m just working and falling in line with the guys.”
All-Pro T.J. Watt returns as the starting left outside linebacker, and Tomlin and Butler have to decide how they’ll divvy up the reps on the right side between Ingram and Alex Highsmith, last year’s third-round draft picks who was penciled in as the starter before Ingram was signed.
On the first official depth chart of the season that was released Saturday, Highsmith is listed ahead of Ingram though Tomlin always cautions not to read very much into preseason depth charts. He is obligated by the NFL to release one before the first preseason game.
“You can move them around,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “You can do some really unique things. I’ve always looked at Melvin’s film, and he’s been able to be that rover-type of guy where he’s able to penetrate through the B gap, get guards one-on-one, so we’ll see what Buts has cooked up for us.
“I don’t think it changes anything. It only enhances. To add another guy with Alex and TJ with his capabilities, there is no let-off. Melvin is a really seasoned guy. He knows the game. He’s seen a lot so it’s not like he has to play a lot of catch-up.”
Ingram does provide a lot of versatility. In nine seasons with the Chargers, he registered 49 sacks and twice made the Pro Bowl. In 2015 and 2017, he recorded double-digit sack seasons. Before his injury-riddled season last year, he had seven or more sacks in five consecutive seasons.
And Ingram provided that production as an outside and inside rusher. Many edge rushers compile their sacks solely from the outside, but Ingram can pressure the quarterback from the middle much in the same way the recently retired Vince Williams did the past few years.
“As long as I’m on the field, I’m good,” he said.
“I’m not going to expect anything,” Butler said when he was asked about how he plans to deploy Ingram and Highsmith. “I’m just going to watch them. So, we’ll see.”
When Ingram played with the Chargers and his bookend was Joey Bosa he said they were the best pass-rushing tandem in the NFL. Now that he’s playing with Watt he feels the same way.
“The best,” Ingram said. “Can’t forget about [Highsmith] either. He’s definitely special. It’s a blessing for me to be here to play on the opposite side of him and Highsmith. It’s just great to play with all these guys. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”
Ingram, who turned 32 in April, is out to prove he can still play at a high level. A first-round pick in 2012, Ingram was allowed to become a free agent with the Chargers after he finished the season on injured reserve with a knee ailment.
“I feel like I’m 18,” Ingram said. “I feel like a kid. I still have a lot left in me.”
Ingram has no hard feelings about the Chargers deciding to move on, but he is motivated to play beyond the 2021 season. He believes he can play well into the future and said it was his decision to sign a one-year deal.
“That’s what I wanted,” he said. “I had an injury last year. I understand it’s a business.”
