Steelers: Justin Houston was the top FA, but Melvin Ingram will do just fine

Justin Houston was the pipe dream for Pittsburgh fans in the 2021 offseason, but here’s why Melvin Ingram is a great consultation prize for the Steelers.

The Steelers visited with former Chargers edge rusher Melvin Ingram on July 19th, and the two sides agreed upon a one-year deal that brings Ingram to Pittsburgh, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirms. The Steelers add a new pass rush weapon to their arsenal before training camp. We all know they needed the depth.

While Pittsburgh might have the best defensive interior in the NFL, their edge depth is more than a little concerning. T.J. Watt is in consideration for the most valuable defender in the league with his absurd production over the past two seasons, and Alex Highsmith showed a tremendous amount of promise as a rookie in 2020. Outside of them, however, things get scary.

Cassius Marsh is the most tenured player at the position, but he has never been more than a journeyman role player who has underachieved. In limited action with the Steelers last year, Mash was weak at the point of attack and didn’t do anything to impress. Rookie Quincy Roche has a chance to stick as a situational pass rusher, but the 2021 6th round pick is likely not ready to be thrown to the wolves from the gate.

Justin Houston was the player that many Steelers fans have had their eye on from the gate. Though it never seemed like a great possibility, Houston is still playing at an incredible level into his 30s and now has 19.0 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss over the past two seasons.

Houston was the goal, but Ingram will work for Steelers

While Houston is the better player at this point and could have been a lightning pass rusher off the edge late in games for the Steelers, Ingram is more than just a serviceable stop-gap player.

Production-wise, Ingram hasn’t come close to Houston over the past two seasons. Over Ingram’s past twenty games, Ingram has just 7.0 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss (0 sacks and 0 TFLs coming over his last 7 contests), according to Pro Football Reference. In addition, Ingram has been hampered by a few nagging injuries that have caused his performance to dip.

However, it’s because of these injuries that the Steelers actually have a chance to get him this late in the offseason. Ingram was a 3-time Pro Bowl player from 2017-2019. Though he only has two double-digit sack seasons in his 9-year career, he’s been a very solid player at his position with the ability to create consistent pressure and defend the run – something that is a must for a Pittsburgh outside linebacker.

Now that he has officially been signed by the Steelers, Ingram will likely rotate in for Alex Highsmith on the right side of the formation and occasionally spell T.J. Watt of a few defensive series each game. Though he may or may not be listed as the starter, Pittsburgh will likely deploy a heavy rotation of all three of their top edge defenders – which should help keep each of them fresher throughout the season.

I would have loved for the Steelers to have been able to land Justin Houston who has still played at a Pro Bowl level over the past four seasons, but Melvin Ingram can be a close second if he returns to full health in 2021. Let’s hope this helps make up for the loss of Bud Dupree.