By Jordan Long
The Miami Dolphins are in the third and final phase of OTA’s (offseason team activities). They will have a mandatory minicamp from June 15th to the 17th. Training camp will take place in late July. The Dolphins might look to add another pass rusher to the team, defensive end Melvin Ingram.
Ingram is still unsigned this late in free agency. He is one of the top names left at the position. Ingram spent the last 9 years with the Chargers franchise. Ingram proved to be one of the best defensive linemen for the Chargers. His speed allowed him to put pressure on the quarterbacks. He totaled 49 sacks. Even when Ingram didn’t sack the quarterback, he hit them with 108 hits. Those pressures made the quarterback throw the ball sooner than he wanted to which could be incomplete passes or interceptions.
Ingram was also valuable in the running game. He helped the Chargers stop the run. Some of them were for loss of yards. Ingram totaled 360 tackles.
Last year, Ingram appeared in 7 games, the lowest amount for him since 2014 when he played in 9 games. He dealt with a knee patella sprain. Ingram was not productive in the Chargers’ defense totaling 10 tackles and 5 quarterback hits. He didn’t record a sack for the first time in his career. Once the year was over, the Chargers decided his play wasn’t worthy of another contract. They let him test free agency.
Teams haven’t gone after Ingram. The big reason is his injury history. He hasn’t played a full NFL season since 2018. Despite the injuries, he has shown he is one of the best defensive ends in the game.
The Dolphins could use another pass rusher. They lost Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson in the offseason. Van Noy agreed to a 2-year deal with divisional rival New England. Lawson was traded to the Houston Texans in the offseason. Without these two players, there was a void to fill.
Miami drafted defensive lineman Jaelan Phillips with the 18th overall pick. He played his college football with UCLA and the University of Florida. He is expected to be one of the starters on the defensive line to sack the quarterback. Adding Ingram may give them a tandem that both quarterbacks and offensive linemen have to pay attention to. They could beat the blocks to stop the run or sack the quarterback which could change field position.
Miami should do whatever it takes to agree to a contract with Ingram. He could help this team improve on their 10-6 record. It all comes down to money. If the price is right, then Ingram will be on the team.
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