2:07 PM
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't care about the trade of outside linebacker Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Even though they were thin at the position, the Steelers were strengthened by the departure of Ingram.
"We didn't take into account their circumstances," Mike Tomlin said. We weighed our situation. The intangible quality that makes us a team is not only the tangible element of our circumstances. When we moved him, we had the chance to get value for him and that was interesting to us.
"But also, to be quite honest with you, Melvin no longer wanted to be here." We prefer volunteers over hostages. We believe that formula allows us to come together in ways that you can't measure. To do the things we were able to do last week, to smile collectively in the face of adversity and do what's required to get out of the stadium with necessary wins. It's more of a function of us and the things that we value and less about Kansas City, the things that they needed or the prospects of playing them later in the season.
Before he was traded for a sixth-round pick, he played six games in Pittsburgh and had 10 tackles. In six games with the Chiefs, he has a sack and 10 tackles, but he has seen an increase in playing time. When Alex Highsmith or T.J. Watt were injured or as a rotation piece, he was used most often in Pittsburgh.
Chris Jones was moved to defensive tackle almost exclusively by the Chiefs in order to jumpstart the defense.
"He is very versatile," said Tomlin. They lacked edge depth early on. He was a dominant force inside and outside.
In recent months, they've been able to play him almost exclusively inside, that's one of the things that's allowed them to gain traction from a defensive perspective. You feel his dominance. His ability to disrupt the game by playing the run, bat passes, and producing sacks, is not only as a pass-rusher. He's a leader.
