Las Vegas Raiders should consider Melvin Ingram in free agency
By Brad Weiss
It is no big secret that the Las Vegas Raiders need to do everything they can to improve upfront along the defensive line this offseason. This is a group that was one of the worst in football this past season, and outside of second-year edge rusher Maxx Crosby, nobody on this roster was able to get a consistent push in 2020.
As they turn the page to the 2021 offseason, changes are coming, but there are also some solid young building blocks outside of Crosby. Clelin Ferrell improved in Year 2, though not in the sack department, and Maurice Hurst is a defensive tackle the team should serious consider extending sooner than later.
With Melvin Ingram not expected to return to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Raiders should make a run at him, as he could really help them in their pass rush. He is a guy who has been doing it for a long time, and if he is healthy, why not take a shot at a player who succeeded under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley had gotten a lot out of Ingram
Bradley coming in as the defensive coordinator this offseason could be a launching point for the Raiders bringing in Ingram, especially if he wants him, and can get in Jon Gruden’s ear. We have seen coordinators, Paul Guenther in particular, get the guys he wanted to come over to the Raiders, and Bradley should have the same pull.
Not only would Ingram improve the front 7, the biggest area of need this offseason, but he also knows the division, as he has played his entire career with the Chargers. From 2017 through 2019, he was a Pro Bowl player for Bradley, racking up 24.5 sacks, so you cannot tell me the Raiders couldn’t use that kind of production.
dark. Next. Las Vegas Raiders must avoid a safety at pick No. 17 overall
Sure, his production was down last season, but he was also injured, and he tried to come back from a knee injury that eventually landed him back on the injured reserve. Coming off an injury, the Raiders could be able to get him on a prove-it deal, and why would he not want to re-join the defensive coordinator who got the very best out of him as recently as the 2019 season.