5 reasons that the Steelers signing Ingram was a wrong move

The Steelers made another late free-agent splash in signing Ingram, but these five reasons may be a cause to temper your excitement.

The Steelers addressed a big area of need when they agreed to terms with Melvin Ingram. The former Charger has been one of the better pass rushers over the last six seasons, and many are already claiming this move to be a huge win for the team. While the Ingram signing is exciting on paper, there are some reasons that this deal may not work out.

The Steelers needed some edge help

I am certainly not arguing that the Steelers needed edge help at this point in the season. The depth behind the starters was weak and there was little guarantee that any of the rostered players could be counted on as the third-string outside linebacker. Ingram, on paper, fills those issues, but digging deeper into the signing tells a different story. With all of that said, here are the five reasons the Ingram signing isn’t a great move.

Ingram’s injury history

Anyone that is ecstatic about the signing of Ingram has to be aware of the injury history he brings with him. He has only played five full seasons to this point, and he has missed a combined 12 games over the past two seasons. While he isn’t as injury-prone as some players (he did have a four-season stretch in his prime where he didn’t miss a game), his age makes it likely that those injury issues are carried onto the Steelers roster.

Now, and important to note, if Ingram is only expected to play as a reserve, then those injury concerns are not as prominent since he won’t be putting as much wear and tear on his body. There are other reasons to be concerned with the deal though if he is taking a reduced role on the defense (but that will be argued later on). Again, a player at his age with the recent spell of injuries means those struggles could continue into this season.