Veteran edge rusher Melvin Ingram remains unsigned in free agency but which NFL teams should be eager to sign the former Charger?
Melvin Ingram has been a staple of the Los Angeles Chargers for quite some time. But now in his early 30s at this point, the team that drafted him out of South Carolina doesn’t appear intent on bringing him back. At the same time, he’s yet to sign anywhere as we approach July and the start of training camps.
Subsequently, Ingram is one of the best players available on the NFL free agency market at this point. Yet, we’ve heard quite little about him getting signed at this point. Sure, he’s not the player that he once was but he can still be a solid presence that affects the passing game and the run game pretty consistently.
As such, with training camp on the near horizon, these three NFL teams should be eager to bring Melvin Ingram aboard for the 2021 NFL season.
Melvin Ingram would help the defense of any of these NFL teams
3. Miami Dolphins – Some of the last news about Ingram in free agency was that he met with the Dolphins at the end of May. Of course, he left that meeting without a deal as he remains available. But that doesn’t mean a contract between the two parties wouldn’t actually make a lot of sense.
After trading Shaq Lawson and then drafting Jaelan Phillips in the first round, the Dolphins pass rush is both young and shallow. Someone in the ilk of Ingram that could come in and teach while also stabilizing the play on the field would be a big help to keeping that unit as impactful as it was a year ago.
2. Tennessee Titans – Full disclosure, it’s likely going to be hard for the Titans to sign Melvin Ingram or any other player of true consequence after the Julio Jones trade. They were already a bit up against the salary cap and that deal only makes things tighter. With that said, if Ingram would give them a bargain, he would be an ideal fit.
Tennessee spent big money on Bud Dupree early in free agency to try and address a pass-rush that was among the worst in the league last season. He and Harold Landry could help that a lot. However, adding Ingram as quality depth could really help the unit make big strides if they could work out the money.
1. Los Angeles Rams – Few teams have adopted a stars-and-scrubs approach to building their roster like the Rams have. Yet, this might be their best chance to truly go for it after Los Angeles made the aggressive trade for Matthew Stafford. Yet, they could still use some quality veteran depth on defense.
Aaron Donald is a superstar and re-signing Leonard Floyd could pay off. Outside of that, though, the front seven could use some reinforcements. Adding a player with the experience and versatility of Ingram could really help the defensive front round into form and keep the Rams firmly as contenders.