Browns ‘Seriously Considered’ Signing DE Melvin Ingram Before Za’Darius Smith Trade

According to Mary Kay Cabot, the Cleveland Browns were seriously considering signing veteran DE Melvin Ingram to a contract before trading with the Vikings for DE Za’Darius Smith.

Cabot writes the Browns were considering signing Ingram to a deal structured similarly to what they gave DE Jadeveon Clowney last year. He inked a one-year, $10 million deal that included voidable years to spread out the cap hit. 

She says the Browns had engaged in some talks with the Vikings about Smith earlier this offseason but didn’t think a similar contract structure with him was an option. The opportunity presented itself in the middle of last week and the two sides got the trade done on Friday. 

That leaves Ingram still available among a number of accomplished veteran pass rushers who are still looking for a team. 

Ingram, 34, is a former first-round pick of the Chargers back in 2012. He played out his four-year, $8.39 million rookie contract that included 7.61 million guaranteed before the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option that paid him $7,751,000 for the 2017 season.

The Chargers placed the franchise tag on Ingram in 2017 before later signing him to a four-year, $66 million contract with $42 million guaranteed. He played out that deal and signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Steelers for 2021.

However, the Steelers traded Ingram to the Chiefs ahead of the deadline for a sixth-round pick. He finished out the rest of his contract with the Chiefs and signed a one-year deal in 2022 with the Dolphins. 

In 2022, Ingram appeared in all 17 games for the Dolphins and recorded 22 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble, two recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown, and one pass defense.

We have him included in our Top 100 Available 2023 NFL Free Agents list.