Von Miller is undoubtedly the biggest name to be traded before the 2021 NFL trade deadline, and he could well turn out to be the biggest impact. After that, however, the best move might be an under-the-radar acquisition made by the Chiefs.
The Chiefs acquired defensive post Melvin Ingram from the Steelers ahead of time to bolster their defensive front. Kansas City have struggled to start the season in defence and are looking for any upgrades to power them.
Ingram himself has not performed on another world level for the Chiefs. He’s made seven tackles and has one bag in five games with the team, so he’s not a player who twice won 10.5 bags for the Charger. However, the presence of the veteran has greatly influenced how the team can play defensively in the second half of the season.
Here’s a look at how the Chiefs’ low-cost gamble on Ingram worked out and how he helped shape their defensive ring.
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Melvin Ingram Commercial Details
- Chief received: DE Melvin Ingram
- Steelworker received: Choose the sixth round in 2022
The Chiefs acquired Ingram for the cost of a sixth round draft. Ingram, 32, was playing on a one-year contract and had one sack and 10 tackles in six games with the Steelers before being traded. As such, it makes sense that they could get him for that price, but it’s also something he’ll be able to easily outperform as the season goes on.
Why do Steelers trade Ingram? It stems from the fact that they picked Alex Highsmith in the third round of 2020 on the list and he is poised to make an impact as a starter that quickly overtakes TJ Watt.
As the Steelers spent more time with Highsmith, Ingram’s role dwindled. So Pittsburgh thinks it will save something for him before he succeeds with free agency, since he is unlikely to return to Steel City.
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How Melvin Ingram helped in protecting the Leaders
Ingram’s presence on the outside made a huge difference to the Captain’s defence. Why? Because it freed up defensive star Chris Jones to play more on the inside in a position to handle the defence.
Jones was once the starting point of the Kansas City defense when playing defensively in the Chiefs’ consecutive Super Bowl games. However, the team needed some extra pressure from the outside and felt that Jones could move in and remain an important part of the Captain’s defence.
Jones has been very solid in that new role. That said, the rotation of new Leaders dealing with defense is not like that. That is part of the reason why their defense has started the season so slowly. They were weak in midfield compared to the track and didn’t get enough pressure from quick passes from inside, where Jones had previously been a steady man.
The Chiefs realized it would be better for Jones to play inside more often, but they still didn’t have enough depth to create pressure on the outside until they added Ingram. After they added him, Jones caught up to more than three times the defense, as he went from averaging 7.8 snaps per game in this position to averaging 25.8 snaps.
Since that switch, the Chiefs’ defense has been nothing short of spectacular. They have not lost a match with Ingram and are holding the opponent under 10 points per game on average.
| Situation | Record | Allow points per game | Number of cards per game allowed | Cover for each game |
| No Melvin Ingram | 4-4 | 27.5 | 412.9 | 2 |
| With Melvin Ingram | 5-0 | 9.6 | 352.4 | 1.6 |
That’s not to say Ingram is entirely responsible for turning the Chiefs’ defenses around, but his presence has certainly allowed the Chiefs to maximize Jones’ passive pass kit. And that could prove a valuable asset to Steve Spagnuolo as Kansas City looks to host another Super Bowl.
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Other important improvements to protect the chiefs
Ingram’s addition isn’t the only reason the Captain has gone from the NFL’s worst stopover unit to one that has allowed exactly nine points in three straight games. Here are some other reasons captains have improved so much in the second half of the 2021 NFL season.
- Healthy Chiefs. Early in the season, the captain simply didn’t have the best defensive personnel on the field together. Starting players Tyrann Mathieu, Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Willie Gay and Charvarius Ward all missed games because of injury or illness, which caused many problems for the team. When all are healthy, the defense begins to form.
- Daniel Sorensen moves to reserve role. Sorensen looked terrible at the start of the season and was already ranked among Focus on professional football‘the five lowest safety levels continuously throughout the season. The captain started Juan Thornhill ahead of him in Week 6 with Sorensen playing in the extra packs. Since that time, captains have only been allowed 17+ points at a time while Sorensen has two interceptions in a smaller role.
- Chiefs’ corners have increased. Rashad Fenton and Mike Hughes are ranked as number 3 and number 5 of the PFF this season, respectively. Meanwhile, Ward scored at 20. They made an extremely effective three-man rotation from two corners opposite L’Jarius Sneed, who played almost 90% of the saves. corner kick this year.
The next two developments greatly improved pass defense while Jones’ drop inward strengthened the team’s defence a bit. Spagnuolo deserves credit for the adjustments he’s made, and that includes Jones’ decision to change placement after Ingram’s arrival.
