The NFL trade deadline has a come and gone as of 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday. In total, there were five trades over the past two days. However, the Kansas City Chiefs were involved in two.
The Chiefs acquired EDGE rusher Melvin Ingram from the Steelers for a sixth-round draft pick. Kansas City traded Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets for TE Dan Brown.
Here are the grades for both trades.
Melvin Ingram: B+
Before the season started, the Chiefs were interested in signing Ingram. However, he landed in Pittsburgh and he got frustrated quickly. Ingram wanted out and Kansas City gave the Steelers a sixth-rounder for him.
Over his career, he has 50 sacks and three Pro Bowl appearances. This was a smart move by the Chiefs. They experimented with Chris Jones on the outside and it impacted the defense.
Jones is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the entire NFL and he loses his aggressiveness on the outside. Kansas City needs him on the inside because that’s where he thrives and will make the largest impact. With that change, it leaves a need on the outside.
That is where Ingram comes into play as he will line up opposite of Frank Clark, ultimately moving Jones back to the interior. Adding Ingram gives the Chiefs defense more depth upfront and in the pass rush, which is one of their biggest needs.
He isn’t what he once was, but Ingram can still play meaningful snaps and provide a boost along with outside, which is what Kansas City needs.
Dan Brown: C
This is a hard trade to swallow for Chiefs fans. LDT has meant so much to the Chiefs fanbase. He is also one of the most noble people out there for what he did last year to go help fight the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
There had been a lot of rumors since the offseason about potentially trading him. The Chiefs are loaded at the guard position and with Kyle Long returning somewhat in the near future, it made sense for the Chiefs to deal the Doctor.
Monday night was the first game he was active this season after needing hand surgery. Trading him to the Jets gives him an opportunity to fill a major need and reach his goal of playing and making an impact on a team.
As for Brown, he had been mainly used on special teams and as a blocker. With Jody Forston done for the year, adding a tight end for blocking and for special teams isn’t a bad move. It also helps that this trade saves the team over $1 million against the cap.
This appears to be a money-saving move, but can also add to the blocking and special teams unit.
