The Kansas City Chiefs went after Melvin Ingram as a free agent during the 2021 NFL offseason and it didn’t work out, but as we’ve learned over the years, Brett Veach always finds a way to get his man.
The Chiefs traded to acquire Ingram from the Pittsburgh Steelers at the NFL trade deadline. On Thursday, he spoke with the media for the first time, providing his outlook on the trade to his new team. Ingram says “God’s plan” took him elsewhere last spring, but he’s excited to now have the opportunity to play for this franchise.
“I think it means a lot,” Ingram told reporters on Thursday. “It’s a first-class organization with first-class players and coaches. So it’s just an honor to be a part of that.”
Ingram lined up across from the Chiefs many times during his nine-year career with the Chargers, with 6.5 sacks against them dating back to just 2017. He’s admired the offense from afar, but now getting to see it in action up close, he’s even more impressed with what he has seen.
“Great offense, a great offense, man,” Ingram said. “A lot of weapons. They’ve got so many weapons. So, it’s just dope to be on this side of it now and just to see that everything you were thinking was really true.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Ingram is friends with several Chiefs players like Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Alex Okafor, and his former Chargers teammate Cortez Broughton. He’s excited to get a chance to play with them and get to work in the defensive scheme in Kansas City.
“They let guys play, they let them play and they’re big on the rush,” Ingram said. “So that’s another positive. They definitely are big on the rush and they’ve got guys on the back end that play football for real. So that’s good.”
As for what Ingram brings to the table for Kansas City, he’ll be another veteran presence in the locker room and on the practice field. He’s bringing his own unique brand of play to the defense with the hopes of contributing to overall team success.
“I’m going to bring me, my style, my unique style of play,” Ingram said. “I’m going to work hard. I’m going to go in there and just try and contribute to what they’ve got going on.”
The much-maligned defensive unit in Kansas City may still rank toward the bottom of the NFL heading into Week 9, but Ingram is optimistic that the unit can turn the corner moving forward.
“I think we’ve got a chance to be special,” Ingram said. “From the outside looking in and the inside looking in, I think we’ve got a chance to be special. I think that’s going to come with time.”
Ingram is confident that his performance and play will be a boon to Kansas City moving forward. He’s determined to prove the organization right for believing in him, and it all starts with the foundation he’s building this week.
“It definitely means more, it means that they really believed in me,” Ingram said of the Chiefs’ decision to trade for him. “I just have to come in and prove them right.”
[listicle id=108325]