Melvin Ingram

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/10/24

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Dolphins now have an all-30-something set of pass rushers set to pressure Patrick Mahomes on Saturday. Three of them — Ingram, Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin — were not with the team going into December. Ingram rejoined the Dolphins last month and has played in three games as a practice squad elevation. The 34-year-old edge rusher saw his season snap share spike following the injuries to Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel. Ingram played 58 defensive plays against the Bills.

Dolphins Activate LB Jerome Baker From IR, Place OLB Bradley Chubb On IR

After spending the requisite four games on injured reserve, linebacker Jerome Baker has been activated off of IR by the Dolphins in time for a pivotal Week 18 matchup against the division rival Bills. With Baker’s activation, Miami has now utilized all of their eight allotted IR activations for the year. In order to make room on the active roster, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb has officially been moved to IR following last week’s unfortunate ACL tear.

A sixth-year Dolphins linebacker, Baker has been out since suffering an MCL injury in early December. The Dolphins gave Baker a three-year, $37.5MM extension in 2021, a deal that runs through the 2024 season. Baker has been a starter since his rookie season, making 82 starts for the team that drafted him in the 2018 third round out of Ohio State. Duke Riley had been filling in for Baker during his four-week absence. Riley will likely come off the bench for Miami tomorrow, perhaps playing a bit more than earlier in the season if the Dolphins want to ease Baker in.

In addition to the above two roster moves, the Dolphins have announced their two standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. The more noteworthy of the two elevations is veteran pass rusher Melvin Ingram. At 34 years old, Ingram has essentially been a nonfactor in his 12th NFL season, only being elevated in two games so far this year. Perhaps with the combined absences of Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, Ingram could finally see a decent chunk of playing time in 2023.

Joining Ingram off the practice squad for the week will be cornerback Ethan Bonner. Bonner, an undrafted rookie out of Stanford, will also have the opportunity to appear in his third game of the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/23

Here are today’s minor transactions and callups for the remainder of the Week 17 matchups:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Alualu is set to make his Lions debut after signing earlier this month. Given the injury issues Detroit has faced up front, the 36-year-old has the chance to see playing time through the close of the regular season and into the playoffs. Alualu expressed a desire to continue playing with the Steelers this offseason, but he remained a free agent deep into the year. His tenure in the Motor City could help boost his free agent stock if he wishes to remain in the league in 2024, though.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/23

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys 

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

The Bills will not have depth running back Ty Johnson available for tonight’s game, leading to the decision to elevate Fournette. The former Super Bowl champion will thus make his Buffalo debut, although with lead back James Cook in the lineup, Fournette will likely not receive many looks on offense. The latter has already returned a kickoff for the first time in his career, however.

Signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad last week, Ingram will also make his 2023 debut in Week 16. The 34-year-old last played during his Miami stint in 2022, during which time he started three games and recorded six sacks. With Jaelan Phillips out for the year, Ingram will look to once again give the Dolphins a rotational presence off the edge.

Dolphins To Bring Back DE Melvin Ingram

Unable to secure as several veteran edge rushers came off the free agency board this summer, Melvin Ingram paid a visit to one of his former teams. This will lead to the Dolphins bolstering their edge-rushing contingent.

The Dolphins brought in the former Pro Bowler for a Tuesday workout, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. This will lead to a quick agreement, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, who reports the Dolphins and Ingram have a deal in place.

[RELATED: Dolphins C Connor Williams Out For Season]

Miami has been without top sack artist Jaelan Phillips for the past two games; Phillips suffered an Achilles tear in Week 12. Ingram operated as a rotational edge rusher for the Dolphins last season. The team used Ingram as a three-game starter in 2022, doing so after signing him to a one-year deal worth $4MM. Ingram, who recorded six sacks (his most since 2019) last season, discussed a contract with the Browns this offseason. But Cleveland completed a trade with Minnesota for Za’Darius Smith.

As players like Leonard Floyd, Frank Clark, Yannick Ngakoue and Jadeveon Clowney signed between May and August, Ingram has been in free agency since his Dolphins contract expired. But the 11-year veteran will make a late-season return to an NFL roster.

Now 34, Ingram is a three-time Pro Bowler who spent his best years with the Chargers. After a 2021 separation from the Bolts, Ingram has bounced around the AFC. The former first-round pick caught on with the Steelers as a third rusher, but he ended up dissatisfied with the role. Pittsburgh traded Ingram to Kansas City before the 2021 deadline, and the veteran’s arrival helped the Chiefs abandon an ill-fated effort to slide Chris Jones to defensive end. Ingram started six games for the Chiefs, forcing a key fumble that helped the Chiefs to a Week 18 win.

Ingram will rejoin Bradley Chubb, Emmanuel Ogbah and Andrew Van Ginkel in Miami. Christian Wilkins is also having a strong contract year, leading the team with 7.5 sacks. Post-Phillips, however, the Dolphins obviously feature a less potent pass rush. They will bring in Ingram to help compensate for the key loss.

Making the Pro Bowl from 2017-19, Ingram excelled both before and after Joey Bosa‘s Southern California arrival. He posted 10.5-sack seasons in 2015 and ’17, signing a big-ticket extension in between. Last season, Ingram recovered two fumbles — returning one for a score — and forced one. This will not be as smooth a transition as it would appear, as the Dolphins hired a new defensive coordinator — Vic Fangio — this offseason. Ingram has managed to fit into a few defenses in his career, so it would surprise if he is not on the field for the AFC East leaders soon.

Bears Eyeing Pass Rush Help

The Bears haven’t done much to address their pass rush this offseason, so the team is naturally in the market for some reinforcement on the edge. According to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times, the Bears are still shopping around for pass rush help.

“We’re interested in a lot of guys at all positions right now,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We’re just excited about being able to look at those guys and potentially add as we go through camp and getting closer to the season.”

The Bears finished last season with a league-low 20 sacks, and the team’s only notable addition on the edge was DeMarcus Walker, who had a career-high seven sacks for the Titans last season. The team also returns some depth at the position; Trevis Gipson has compiled 10 sacks over the past two seasons, and Dominique Robinson showed some promise during his rookie campaign.

“I’m focused on the guys we have here,” said defensive line coach Travis Smith. “That’s not my job to go look outside. That’s for Mr. Poles and [Eberflus] to decide. If they come ask me a question, I’ll offer my opinion on it. But the guys that we have, the 15 guys in the room that we have, coaching every day to get better.”

As Finley notes, the Bears have plenty of connections to the remaining crop of free agent edge rushers. Justin Houston played for Eberflus when the two were in Indianapolis, while Yannick Ngakoue played under Smith when they were in Las Vegas. Bears GM Ryan Poles also has connections to Melvin Ingram and Frank Clark from his Kansas City days.

The Bears are willing to give at least one of the current free agent edge rushers a one-year deal, per Finley. The team will probably wait out the market as they look at add to the position on their financial terms.

Browns Pursued DE Melvin Ingram

Even as Jadeveon Clowney moved out of the picture, the Browns look to still be deeper on the edge than they were during the Clowney-Myles Garrett years. They have added two intriguing complementary rushers this offseason.

Obo Okoronkwo signed with Cleveland during free agency’s first week, and the Browns completed a pick-swap trade with the Vikings that will send Za’Darius Smith back to the AFC North. In between these moves, however, the team looked into another edge addition. The Browns pursued free agent defensive end Melvin Ingram, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

The Browns initially prioritized Smith, with Cabot noting Andrew Berry and ex-Browns staffer Kwesi Adofo-Mensah discussed the disgruntled pass rusher in March and April. With no deal materializing by the draft, the Browns checked in on Ingram, an 11-year veteran who played out his one-year Dolphins contract last season.

Eyeing an Ingram agreement similar to the pact they gave Clowney in 2022 — one year, $10MM — the Browns instead found a way to acquire Smith, who is three years younger than the former Chargers Pro Bowler. Ingram is one of many veteran edge players still in free agency, joining the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Frank Clark, Leonard Floyd and Justin Houston. The Browns’ price point may shed some light on where this market stands.

Ingram, 34, broke through for his most sacks since 2020 last season, notching six in Miami. Only Jaelan Phillips (seven) tallied more for the team. The former Bolts first-round pick has also scored two defensive touchdowns over the past two seasons, doing so in consecutive regular-season games — Week 18 in 2021 and Week 1 of last season. Ingram, who played for the Steelers and Chiefs in between time with the Bolts and Dolphins, has 57 career sacks.

Smith has 54.5 despite working as more of a rotational rusher in Baltimore. He rebounded from a lost 2021 season in ’22, recovering from his back surgery to play 16 Vikings games. The eight-year veteran finished with 10 sacks during his Minnesota one-off. Clowney totaled nine during his debut with Garrett, though the former No. 1 overall pick — amid a turbulent season — regressed in 2022, registering only two in his second Cleveland slate. The Browns will expect more from Smith, who has two years remaining on his reworked contract.

Checking In On Edge Rusher Market

The late-spring signing period that transpires every year — due to the compensatory formula deadline passing — has produced a number of deals. Rock Ya-Sin, Foster Moreau, Randall Cobb, Donovan Smith and a few quarterbacks (John Wolford, Trevor Siemian, Brandon Allen) agreed to terms over the past week and change.

This year’s deadline, however, has not led to a thaw in the edge defender market, which is free agency’s deepest at this point. A number of accomplished veterans — some still in or close to their prime — remain unsigned. Teams often use OTAs, minicamp and training camp to determine where roster flaws are, leading to summer veteran additions. As of last week, no such moves affect teams’ 2024 compensatory picks. Some clubs will also pick up some cap space after June 1, when they will see the money saved from previous cut designations emerge.

A few longtime starters figure to receive another chance before teams configure their final depth charts. Ahead of OTAs, here are the top options available:

Frank Clark. Age in Week 1: 30

The Chiefs cut Clark in March, separating from their most prominent edge player of the Patrick Mahomes era. While Clark did not live up to the five-year, $104MM pact he signed upon being acquired from the Seahawks in 2019 and ultimately took a pay cut to return in 2022, he did continue producing in the playoffs. Clark’s 2.5 sacks during this past postseason give him 13.5 for his career. In the official sack era (1982-present), that total ranks third. Of course, the ex-Seattle second-rounder was arrested twice in 2021 and never eclipsed eight sacks during a Chiefs regular season. He remains a starter-caliber player.

Jadeveon Clowney. Age in Week 1: 30

Perennially unable to secure a long-term deal, the former No. 1 overall pick will likely end his NFL career without landing one. Injury trouble has plagued Clowney, who missed eight games during his two-year Browns tenure. Since the Texans traded Clowney to the Seahawks in August 2019, he has taken his time before reaching a free agency accord. Clowney signed with the Titans in September 2020, inked his first Browns deal in April 2021 and re-signed in May of last year. Clashes with Cleveland’s coaching staff will lead him elsewhere. Clowney only totaled two sacks and 12 QB pressures last season, though he collected nine sacks opposite Myles Garrett in 2021.

Leonard Floyd. Age in Week 1: 31

With the Rams moving on from their four-year, $64MM agreement in March, two teams have now cut Floyd in his career. The Bears picked up his fifth-year option but, back when teams were allowed to do this, ditched it free of charge a year later back in 2020. Floyd has both displayed durability and production since that Chicago separation, showing a new gear in Los Angeles. Teaming with Aaron Donald and Von Miller certainly boosted Floyd’s chances of drawing a favorable matchup, but he kept going after Donald’s shutdown last season. Four of Floyd’s 9.5 sacks came during the six games Donald missed. Floyd’s 31 QB pressures ranked 17th last season.

Markus Golden. Age in Week 1: 32

Coming off the worst season in this contingent, Golden is two years removed from an 11-sack campaign. The former second-round pick agreed to a one-year extension that covered the 2023 season, but the Cardinals’ new regime ditched that contract in March. Golden has three double-digit sack seasons on his resume, though they have come in nonconsecutive years. An early-career ACL tear threw the Mizzou alum off track, but Golden has missed just one game over the past four seasons.

Yannick Ngakoue. Age in Week 1: 28

The second-ranked edge defender in PFR’s free agent rankings back in March (behind only Marcus Davenport), Ngakoue has consistently produced sack numbers while generating a reputation as a hired gun and run-game liability. He did not come close to reaching the May compensatory deadline in the past, however, being franchise-tagged in 2020 and signed to a two-year, $26MM Raiders deal in March 2021. The Colts took on that contract last year, via a straight-up trade for Ya-Sin, and Ngakoue reeled off a 9.5-sack season. The former Jaguars third-round pick is the only player to post at least eight sacks in each of the past seven seasons.

Dawuane Smoot. Age in Week 1: 28

One of the bright spots of the Jaguars’ Urban Meyer year, Smoot finished the 2021 season with 30 pressures. The former third-round pick accumulated 22.5 sacks from 2019-22, finishing that stretch on a two-year deal worth $10MM. He likely would have a third contract in place — either from the Jaguars or another team earlier in free agency — had a December ACL tear not occurred. The Jags did not re-sign Arden Key or use a first- or second-day pick on an edge rusher. While that potentially keeps the door open to Smoot returning when cleared (or on the homestretch toward clearance), he remains an intriguing complementary option for teams.

Kyle Van Noy. Age in Week 1: 32

Although Van Noy has operated as a hybrid of sorts, his sack consistency qualifies him for such a list. Van Noy’s one-year Chargers deal ended up requiring considerable edge work, with Joey Bosa lost for much of the season. As he had done for years in New England, Van Noy made an impact in a pass-rushing capacity. He finished with five sacks, marking the fifth time in the past six seasons he has reached that number. Van Noy’s age and versatility make him one of the better options left. After signing with the Chargers in May of last year, Van Noy expressed interest in staying on another accord.

Mid-30s wing

Carlos Dunlap. Age in Week 1: 34

The Chiefs waited until July to add Dunlap last year, bringing in the longtime Bengals sack artist — on a one-year, $3MM pact — to replace Melvin Ingram as a Clark complement. Kansas City has since added younger UFA Charles Omenihu and used first-round picks on edges (George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah) in each of the past two years. The Bengals’ all-time sack leader, Dunlap finished with four last season after amassing 8.5 with the Seahawks in 2021. The Chiefs used the 13-year veteran on 39 defensive plays in Super Bowl LVII.

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Contract Details: Landry, Ingram, Bradberry

Here are some of the details on deals recently agreed to around the NFL:

  • Jarvis Landry, WR (Saints): One-year, $3MM. The contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, is completely guaranteed with a $1.88MM signing bonus and a base salary of $1.12MM. The deal will have a maximum value of $6MM due to some lofty incentives. One incentive is based on his receptions total, paying out $250,000 if he reaches 55 catches, $500,000 if he reaches 65, and $1MM if he reaches 75 receptions. The receptions bonus does not compound. If he reaches 75 receptions, he will only receive a $1MM bonus, not $1.75MM. Other incentives include $500,000 if he catches five touchdowns, $500,000 if he plays 48.5% of the team’s offensive snaps, $500,000 if he records 60 catches and the team makes the playoffs, and $500,000 if he reaches 607 receiving yards and the team makes the playoffs.
  • Melvin Ingram, OLB (Dolphins): One-year, $4MM. The deal, also reported by Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $3.32MM composed of a $1.65MM signing bonus and a base salary of $1.67MM. The remaining $680,000 is the potential season-total for Ingram’s per game active bonus of $40,000. Ingram can earn up to $750,000 of additional incentives based on playtime, sack total, and team defense. A Pro Bowl bonus of $250,000 pushes the maximum potential value of the contract to $5MM.
  • James Bradberry, CB (Eagles): One-year, $7.25MM. Bradberry’s deal, once again reported by Yates, is fully guaranteed with a signing bonus of $6.22MM and a base salary of $1.04MM. Bradberry can earn an additional $2.5MM due to incentives, giving his deal a maximum potential value of $9.75MM. The Eagles continue to divvy up the cap hit with voidable years, spreading Bradberry’s cap number through the 2026 season. The result sees his $7.25MM contract only do $2.28MM-worth of damage to the 2022 salary cap.

Dolphins To Sign Melvin Ingram

Another veteran pass rusher has found a new home. Melvin Ingram is signing with the Dolphins, reports Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). 

The recently-turned 33-year-old spent nine years with the Chargers. Beginning in 2014, he emerged as a disruptive presence against both the pass and the run, eclipsing the 10-sack mark in 2015 and 2017. The latter campaign saw him earn the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl nods.

Ingram ended his tenure with the team this offseason, signing with the Steelers to bookend All-Pro T.J. Watt. The move was met with optimism from both an individual and team perspective, but things didn’t go according to plan at any point during the season. Playing a smaller role than he did at any point as a starter with the Chargers, Ingram totalled just 10 tackles and one sack as a Steeler.

In November, Pittsburgh honored his trade request, sending him to Kansas City. He matched his sack total from his brief Steelers tenure, but his arrival coincided with the Chiefs’ general defensive turnaround, and he added a pair of sacks in three postseason games. As a result, the team expressed an interest in re-signing the South Carolina alum.

That possibility seemed to grow in likelihood when the Chiefs placed the rarely-used UFA tender on Ingram. Doing so would have given them exclusive negotiating rights after July 22nd, while guaranteeing Ingram a Chiefs contract of at least $4.4MM. As a result of this deal with the Dolphins, Kansas City will be in line for a compensatory pick next year.

While it may come as a slight surprise Ingram is on the move once again, the fact that his destination is Miami shouldn’t be one. The Dolphins hosted him just over one month ago, signalling their interest. He will join a Dolphins edge group which already featured the re-signed Emmanuel Ogbah and 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips. Ingram should be able to play at least a rotational role on what figures to be a strong Miami defense.