Wednesday, Miami signed three-time Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram to a defense that retained nearly every member of the front seven from a 2021 unit that ranked tied for fifth in the NFL with 48 sacks.
The addition of Ingram gives Miami a fourth edge defender who finished inside the top 40 in 2021 in quarterback pressures (Emmanuel Ogbah 61, Ingram 51, Andrew Van Ginkel 45, Jaelan Phillips 40, per Pro Football Focus).
Here are five things to know about Miami's newest member of the defense, Melvin Ingram:
1. A Decade of Dominance
Against the run or the pass, a rusher or in coverage, Melvin Ingram has impacted a ton of football games in his storied career. Over his 10 years in the league, Ingram has amassed 51.0 sacks, 74 tackles for loss and forced 14 fumbles.
With 128 career games played, Ingram shook off some injuries from early in his career to play in 99 of a possible 113 games since the start of the 2015 season. He's logged 119 QB hits, 373 total tackles, intercepted three passes, defended 29 total passes and recovered seven fumbles.
Ingram showed off his explosiveness at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine ranking in the 90th percentile or better among edge defenders all time in 10- and 20-yard splits, and short shuttle and three-cone drills. He also checked in at the 80th percentile or better in both the 40-yard dash and vertical jump.
At age 33 and entering his 11th NFL season, Ingram continues to disrupt the plans of opposing offenses. Upon his November arrival to the Chiefs at the trade deadline last season, Ingram logged 24 quarterback pressures in his first eight games with the team. During that stretch, he never had fewer than two pressures in a game, and recorded four pressures in four different games. He added nine more pressures and two sacks in three playoff games.
Since 2014, Ingram is eighth among edge rushers with 418 total QB pressures and 19th in sacks with 49.
2. Consistent in Every Facet of the Game
The volume of Ingram's resume is impressive and his consistency is solid. For his career, his QB pressure rate has never dipped below 10.7 percent.
| Year | Pressure Rate |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 11.1% |
| 2020 | 11.9% |
| 2019 | 12.5% |
| 2018 | 11.2% |
| 2017 | 14.5% |
| 2016 | 15% |
| 2015 | 12.9% |
| 2014 | 11.7% |
| 2013 | 10.7% |
| 2012 | 11.7% |
Ingram's run-stop rate is in similar territory. From a volume standpoint, he was top 25 in the league from 2015-19 (never fewer than 32 run stops) every year, giving him the sixth-most run stops (233) among edges since 2014. From an efficiency standpoint, consistency is the way again:
| Year | Run Stop Rate |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 9.5% |
| 2020 | 5.0% |
| 2019 | 12.7% |
| 2018 | 9.9% |
| 2017 | 9.4% |
| 2016 | 9.1% |
| 2015 | 8.5% |
| 2014 | 8.1% |
| 2013 | 5.7% |
| 2012 | 11.1% |
To complete his toolbox, Ingram has a career passer rating against of 82.4.
3. How it Translates to Miami
Below are three clips of showcasing the nuance to Ingram's game, both as a rusher and run defender. Even with a new team midseason, in a new scheme, Ingram flashed the ability to transition mid-play from penetrating run defender to ferocious quarterback hunter against play action.
In that clip, Ingram's patented spin move is also on display. He pairs that quickness with sheer strength, heavy hands and a devastating long-arm move to put opposing tackles in peril. That ability to shock pass protectors in a variety of situations makes Ingram an ideal fit for most game packages (stunts, twists, slants).
His tape against the run is equally impressive.
The beauty of the Ingram signing is the multitude of roles he could conceivably occupy. Last season, Van Ginkel played 801 snaps, Ogbah 755 snaps and Phillips 603. Ingram played 731 and showed that he could be a valuable sub-package rusher, or true three-down player. Either way, he could help the Dolphins front stay fresh week in, week out.
4. Leading by Example, Making his Teammates Better
A theme of this offseason for the Dolphins -- acquire good players who conduct themselves in a way that tends to maximize the ability of the teammates around them.
It's no different with Melvin Ingram.
"My leadership, I display it by my work ethic, what I do on the field. I don't try to be super vocal, because I feel like anybody can do that," Ingram said last year in an interview on Steelers.com. "You can pick somebody off the streets to be vocal, but it takes a special leader to do it by work ethic, going out there and leading by example."
He continued by acknowledging how perceptive young players are of the veterans on a given team.
"They're definitely going to look at you," Ingram said. "I know when I was a young guy, I definitely looked at every older player just to try and steal something away from them that they did on a daily basis, or how they went about their work. That's why I try to go about mine the right way."
Ingram had a big impact in last year's postseason with the Chiefs. Tight end Travis Kelce explained the juice Ingram gave a Kansas City defense that ranked near the top of the leaderboard in multiple defensive categories over the second half of the season.
"The swag champ, man," Kelce said, describing Ingram. "You bring a guy in with that much juice and that much swagger about himself, a perennial all-star throughout his entire career, that makes everybody play better. You saw it immediately, how much fun the guys were having."
5. A Family Man, Sneakers, and the Rap Game
A quick trip to Ingram's Instagram profile (@kingmel54) will show his other passions outside of football -- his family, sneakers and rap.
Here, a feature detailing Ingram's upbringing and how he ties football and rap together. Below, a photo of him with his two boys and one of his pop-up sneaker shops.
For more analysis, and to hear Ingram talking about joining the Dolphins, subscribe to the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield.
