Pittsburgh Steelers Sign Former Pro Bowler Ahead Of Training Camp

Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly signed former Pro Bowl pass rusher Melvin Ingram.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Ingram signed a one-year contract in an effort to "beef up the edge."

The three-time Pro Bowler joins the team just prior to the Steelers entering training camp.

Ingram, 32, was limited to zero sacks during his first seven games due to a knee ailment, which eventually landed him on injured reserve.

The former University of South Carolina standout was selected by the then-San Diego Chargers at No. 18 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft and spent his entire career with the franchise prior to signing with Pittsburgh on Monday (July 19).

Ingram made three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2017-19, before being limited by the knee injury in 2020.

The 32-year-old enters his 10th NFL season with 360 tackles, 49.0 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

Ingram joins a Steelers pass rush that is expected to be the best in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Given that the Steelers use a 3-4 defense, outside linebackers were included as edge defenders in the rankings.

The Steelers topped the list despite being "slated to take a step back after replacing Bud Dupree with Alex Highsmith," but -- like head coach Mike Tomlin -- the website expects Highsmith to have a breakout season in 2021 playing among an already dominant unit.

"Highsmith finished his rookie season with a higher pass-rush win rate (16.5%) than Dupree (13.7%) last year. He joins a group that already features T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, and Tyson Alualu, all of whom made PFF’s list of the top 32 players at their respective positions entering the 2021 NFL season. That group will look to match a league-leading 45.1% pressure rate in 2020.

As a rookie, Highsmith started five games in the absence of Dupree, who experienced a season-ending ALC tear in December.

In April, Tomlin not only confirmed that Highsmith will continue to serve as the Steelers' starting outside linebacker amid Dupree's decision to sign with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent this offseason, but also credited his "natural maturation" during a pre-draft press conference alongside general manager Kevin Colbert.

"In regards to the loss of Bud and the expectations and the depth and things at that position, the lynchpin to that entire discussion is the natural maturation of Alex Highsmith from Year 1 to Year 2,” Tomlin said. “You know the standard of expectations that we have for our young players moving from [Year] 1 to [Year] 2. He could be the poster boy for that. We need a significant rise in terms of all areas of play from him. But I also think it’s reasonable to expect it given what he’s been exposed to, given the quality young man that he is and his work ethic and the environment we intend to put him in. I think it’s reasonable to expect him to rise up and meet the challenges.”

Highsmith appeared in all 16 games during his rookie season, recording 48 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, five tackle for loss and six QB hits in 2020.

Watt is coming off yet another dominant season in which he was a finalist for the 2020 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award won by Pittsburgh native and former University of Pitt standout Aaron Donald.

Watt earned a 91.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus after leading the NFL in sacks (15) and tackles for loss (26), while also recording 53 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles and 41 QB hits.


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