Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers flooded Twitter with their enthusiasm on Monday when it was reported that former Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Melvin Ingram had signed a one-year contract with the team. The national media, in mindboggling fashion, immediately criticized the move, somehow forgetting that OLB Alex Highsmith is on the roster and ready for a breakout year. They assumed that Ingram was expected to be a starter. While it’s possible, I don’t think that’s the expectation for a player coming off a rocky season where he landed on IR not once, but twice.
Let’s go back to the beginning briefly for an overview of Ingram’s injury history.