Last season, Melvin Ingram became a fan favorite for his impact on the Chiefs defense’s most-resurgence that led to the team making a run to the AFC Championship a year. Since then, Chiefs Kingdom has been anxiously awaiting his return to One Arrowhead Drive.
So far, Ingram’s phone hasn’t had a ton of activity since he became an unrestricted free agent earlier this offseason. He visited the Miami Dolphins on April 12 but is still on the open market.
On Monday, the Chiefs placed the rarely-used UFA tender on Ingram, meaning the Chiefs will receive a 2023 compensatory pick if he signs with a club before July 22 and the start of training camp. If Ingram signs the tender, he’ll return to the Chiefs for the 2022 campaign making 10% more than his total salary during the 2021 season.
During his post-draft presser on Tuesday, Chiefs GM Brett Veach walked reporters through the process that led to the decision to use the UFA tender on the veteran defensive end.
“Well, that’s something our cap guys (vice presidents of football operations) Brandt Tillis and Chris Shea do a good job of,” said Veach. “It was an idea or concept we talked about maybe a week or two before the draft just as a possibility. And then we decided to do that.”
Ingram’s a player that’s likely to wait before signing with a club to avoid attending OTAs and minicamp. Last season, he waited until late July before eventually signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He may do the same thing again this offseason, and Veach understands this.
“As far as where he stands, it’s always a little bit different and unique with these veteran guys. Melvin’s a guy that’s played a lot of football, he’s accomplished a lot, and I don’t think he’s in a rush,” Veach explained. “We knew that when the free agency period started that he wouldn’t be in a rush [and], he would take his time. If it made sense for him, he would do something.”
“We’ve been in contact with his agent. If there was something that made sense for us, we would definitely want him back. I think what this UFA tender does is it allows us the ability to communicate and not have either him or his agent without us being in the mix, and I think that’s what we want to do,” he said. “We don’t know where this is going to go. I can say that we would love to have him back, and it would make sense for us, but regardless, it at least allows us a chance to have a dialogue with them before they decide to do anything — if they decide to do something, somewhere else.”
For now, the Chiefs’ projected starter at defensive end opposite Frank Clark is Purdue rookie George Karlaftis, who the Chiefs picked up with the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft. The team has plenty of room for veteran depth along the defensive line, especially on the edge, which would make Ingram’s return a welcomed addition to the Chiefs’ roster in 2022.
