Steelers trade disgruntled OLB Melvin Ingram to Chiefs for 6th-round pick

Melvin Ingram’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers lasted all of six games.

The team traded the reportedly disgruntled veteran outside linebacker to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft.

The deadline-day deal comes two days after Ingram, 32, was not in uniform for the Steelers’ win at the Cleveland Browns. Though coach Mike Tomlin had not mentioned Ingram when listing injuries following an Oct. 17 win against the Seattle Seahawks nor in referencing how healthy his team was during last week’s news conference, the next day Ingram was listed on the league-mandated injury report as having a groin injury.

A 1o-year NFL veteran, Ingram was listed as limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday and he did not practice at all Friday. Tomlin that day said Ingram’s absence was unrelated to any dissatisfaction with his role or playing time, but multiple reports from separate NFL Network reporters detailed Ingram’s unhappiness with the Steelers.

A two-time Pro Bowl honoree with the Chargers, Ingram was signed in June to a one-year, $4 million contract. The Steelers have a star at his position in T.J. Watt and a second-year, now-established starter in Alex Highsmith on the opposite side. When both Highsmith and Watt were healthy for games, Ingram’s snap count diminished.

The Steelers were down a late-round pick in 2022 after a September trade of a fifth-rounder to the Seahawks for Ahkello Witherspoon. Witherspoon has been a healthy scratch for all but one game.

The Steelers’ depth chart at outside linebacker after Watt and Highsmith consists only of Derrek Tuszka and Taco Charlton. Charlton made his Steelers debut in Sunday’s win at Cleveland.

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