Melvin Ingram arrived in San Diego as a first-round pick out of South Carolina in 2012 and spent his rookie season mostly as a backup linebacker and special-teams contributor. A torn ACL in his second training camp wiped out nearly all of 2013, but he returned late that year and helped the Chargers reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009. From there, he steadily worked his way into a starting role on the edge. He was a versatile, athletic rusher who could line up as a stand-up linebacker or with his hand in the dirt, using speed, spin moves, and quick hands to get around tackles or work inside on stunts.

His breakout came in 2015, when he posted 10.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles while starting every game. He matched that sack total in 2017, earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for September, and made his first Pro Bowl. That started a three-year run of Pro Bowl selections from 2017 through 2019, during which he formed a productive edge tandem with Joey Bosa. He finished 2017 with another 10.5 sacks and added a 39-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, and he remained a consistent pressure generator through 2018 and 2019 even as the Chargers’ defensive line evolved. He was the kind of player who could win with pure speed off the edge one snap, then counter with a spin or bull rush the next, forcing quarterbacks to hurry throws and creating opportunities for the rest of the front. After the 2020 season, Ingram left for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

In his nine years with the Chargers, he finished just shy of 50 sacks and ranked among the franchise's more productive edge defenders during that stretch.

He never quite reached the same individual heights after leaving San Diego, but his multi-year stretch of Pro Bowls and double-digit sack seasons with the Chargers marked him as one of the more reliable pass rushers the team has had in the modern era.