The Las Vegas Raiders may house one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in Maxx Crosby, but outside of him, the Raiders are pretty thin in terms of players that can regularly pressure the quarterback.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s NFL staff feels that Las Vegas should pursue edge rusher Melvin Ingram, who has not yet played in 2023.
Ingram last appeared with the Miami Dolphins last season and was productive, playing in every game and registering 22 tackles, six sacks, a couple of fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown.
The 34-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of South Carolina, was originally selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 18th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.
He spent the first nine years of his career with the Chargers but didn’t really break out of his shell until his fourth NFL season in 2015. That year, Ingram racked up 65 tackles, 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six passes defended as he finally began to justify his draft status.
That began a very impressive five-year run for Ingram, who proceeded to make three straight trips to the Pro Bowl between 2017 and 2019. He logged double-digit sacks once again in 2017, rattling off 56 tackles, 10.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries and a defensive score.
From 2015 through 2019, Ingram never logged less than seven sacks in a single campaign.
A knee injury knocked Ingram out after just seven games in 2020, and that ensuing offseason, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers proceeded to trade him to the Kansas City Chiefs midway through the 2021 campaign. In 15 contests between both squads that season, Melvin Ingram totaled 25 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
The Raiders improved to 4-5 with their blowout win over the New York Giants this past Sunday and will host the New York Jets this weekend.
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