Bucs Add Henry Melton; Depth Grows
March 12th, 2015
Would you trade Da’Quan Bowers for Henry Melton?
Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers just did.
Sort of.
Bowers walked in free agency, after closing out his Bucs career as a backup defensive tackle. And now the Bucs have signed former Pro Bowler Henry Melton to fill that spot, per Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
Melton, 28, was a 2012 Pro Bowl defensive tackle playing Gerald McCoy’s position in Lovie’s defense. He blew out his knee in 2013, and had five sacks for the Cowboys last year in a part-time role. And Melton skipped the playoffs with a bone bruise in his knee. Dallas didn’t pick up his $8 million-per-year option.
Bottom line: the Bucs add yet another guy Lovie Smith trusts who won’t have a learning curve in this defense.
If Melton can recapture his old form, then wow, the Bucs hit a homerun. If he’s just a valuable rotational guy who can help rush the passer, that’s just fine, too.
Right now, with Akeem Spence, Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald and Melton, the Bucs have superior depth at the position.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:37 am
Oh MY! HAHA, FK YEAH!!!!! Welcome to Tampa Big Man Henry!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:39 am
At what cost? He was due 8 million I wouldn’t pay a backup half that! Hope we didn’t overpay!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:43 am
The fry cook at Mickey D’s would be better than Bowers…
March 12th, 2015 at 9:43 am
Lance Briggs can’t be too far behind. Any other former Bears out there to sign?
March 12th, 2015 at 9:47 am
NOW GO SIGN AN EXONERATED GREG HARDY TO AN INCENTIVE BASED PROVE IT DEAL…GET IT DONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GMC#93 has sounded the battle cry, “NEVER AGAIN!!”
March 12th, 2015 at 9:53 am
Still havent added help to our real needed areas. DE and OL. Thanks for adding depth to other positions but you guys are making me nervous. AGAIN!!!!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:54 am
I agree with you Buc4life1979. Everyone deserves a second chance.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:56 am
edge rusher and OL help now and we should be set for draft day…
March 12th, 2015 at 9:58 am
@Buc4life1979 – Hardy doesn’t need to sign an incentive based contract, he still has plenty of value and demand to get guaranteed money. He has nothing to “prove”.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:58 am
“NOW GO SIGN AN EXONERATED GREG HARDY TO AN INCENTIVE BASED PROVE IT DEAL…GET IT DONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GMC#93 has sounded the battle cry, “NEVER AGAIN!!””
———-
McCoy tweeted to Hardy today “Why Not?”. He also was recruiting Morgan.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:58 am
Now I’m waiting on the report that they’ve signed Greg Hardy.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:00 am
Melton’s deal is for one year, from what’s been reported. Same with Conte. Not bad. Good depth. Now go out and draft/develop players.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:02 am
Goodbye huff and puff Bowers, another wasted pick by the so called Rockstar. I would have traded Bowers for a cooler full of Poweraide.
People whine and hate on Lovie for this team last year when it was so obvious we had an empty hole of talent due to poor drafting and FA acquisitions for over 10 years.
Yes, they made mistakes with two FA’s last year but at least they recognized them and moved on unlike past regimes where they held on to the likes of Myron Lewis and Bowers.
Bowers was the main reason we let go of Michael Bennett and he all but knew the position was his. So how did he reward the Bucs for this trust? He came into camp woefully out of shape.
And for all you clowns worried about the money what do you care? it’s not your money. As long as they don’t end up with cap problems there are no problems and I’m sure Licht is aware of that after last years fiasco.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:06 am
get your d line fixed already so we can hear some news about the offensive line….love the interior lineman but you need edge rushers more than depth lets go bucs, in year 2 is when the head coach is supposed to make the jump in wins
March 12th, 2015 at 10:12 am
@ddneast
Agree….at least with the defense…..don’t know about Oline moves…
But…Bowers, Johnson, Goldson all pretty much gave minimal effort and were really disappointing…..We are seeing improvements for less money….It takes some guts on Licht’s part to make these cuts admitting mistakes (Collins/Johnson)….so I give him credit for making the moves.
Any objective person would have to agree that Dominick’s drafts were a total disaster…..what do we really have to show for rounds 1 & 2 from his drafts?
March 12th, 2015 at 10:18 am
I think thus move also eliminates the possibllity of us doing the unthinkable and drafting Leonard Williams. This signing seems to me to be a signal that we are taking a QB. Which one I don’t know yet (please be Winston)
March 12th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Wow, that’s a great signing! Let’s get it Melton!!!
March 12th, 2015 at 10:35 am
Can he play on the O line?
March 12th, 2015 at 10:38 am
He is just depth and a rotational guy.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:40 am
This is a great addition of a proven veteran who showed he is capable of playing at a very high level. Barring injuries, if Melton can get close to his near elite form of Chicago as an interior pass rusher or even replicate his good pass rushing output in Dallas as a situational rusher, he would turn out to be one of the best signings of post-Gruden era. Great move L&L.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:44 am
another good signing. props.
just hope these guys work out better than last years crop.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:58 am
OK we’re set up the middle of the DL. Still need that edge rusher. Looks like everybody here is on board with Greg Hardy.
Most posters are qualifying that with incentive based contracts yadda yadda.
Just because he got into hot water and suspended does not mean teams will not be lining up to sign him. Edge rushers and OT’s are the hardest positions to fill next to QB. Hardy is a proven commodity with only one major fup that I’ve read about. If we’re not talking serial offender like Richie the sleazebag Incognito then I’m OK with Hardy as well.
I just think we might all be guilty of wishful thinking if we believe we’ll get him on the cheap. Yeah everybody will get a domestic abuse discount….but how much. Without that Hardy would be worth megabucs…with it he’s still going to command some jack. The length of the deal and guaranteed money will be the big concern.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:02 am
Good signing by the Bucs. Even if he doesn’t play at a Pro Bowl level having him on the roster is an improvement over Bowers.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:04 am
Should we now be called the Tampa Bears ? Lol
March 12th, 2015 at 11:06 am
Depending on the cost, this could be a good signing. He is a very high injury risk, but if he came cheap, it won’t matter.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:20 am
@Buc4life1979 —
Greg Hardy was convicted. On appeal, the victim could not be found, so the case was dismissed. That is not the same thing as exonerated. He was found guilty… He’s a piece of sh1t. No thanks.
Also, ALL CAPS is not necessary.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:25 am
Welcome to Lovie Smith’s Tampa Bay Bearcaneers
March 12th, 2015 at 11:46 am
A Ric Flair Wooooooooo!!!!!!!!
This is a great great signing. Instead of overpaying for a Raiders reject wecare collecting pass rushers. THIS is the formula for success.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:51 am
Oh yes, that Greg Hardy case is one of the most horrific police reports I have ever read that didn’t involve a murder. He is a effin pos.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:51 am
Yes Salish, he was convicted. And the woman was so traumatized by the event she went on a skiing trip to Vail, Co.mand a shopping spree in New York City.
Get a grip, dude.
That woman was a gold digger from the word go. The NFL holds rookie eminars to warn the players of women like her. She could be the poster girl for cleat chasers.
I don’t know if Hardy, outside of that incident, is a decent person, but I do know after looking at her Facebook page that she is hardly a sheltered virgin who isn’t chasing the fattest wallet in town.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:58 am
Good news, that should be one hell of a rotation at DT. Hope all these guys can stay healthy.
Still a ton of needs and not enough draft picks.
Go Sucs!
March 12th, 2015 at 1:03 pm
@ddneast —
Whatever you say about the woman doesn’t matter. The fact is that he beat the sh1t out of her and threatened to kill her. Are you OK with that? There’s no excuse for it. I’m really disturbed by all these apologists for violence against women.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
Her’s some old folks wisdom for you salish.
“When you lay down and sleep with Dawes, don’t complain when you get bit by fleas.”
This “victim”‘ is a pure bar skank and all it takes to figure that out is to look at her Facebook page.
So please, spare me the phony outrage. I’m saving my sympathy fore more deserving people.
But if you feel that strongly about her abuse, why not start up a collection for her on one of this web sites. I’m sure you will collect about $3.25 by the end of the year.
March 12th, 2015 at 2:01 pm
We have now have depth at 2 whole positions on the roster, DT and RB. Wooo!
March 12th, 2015 at 2:02 pm
“the Bucs have superior depth at the position”
That’s not a phrase you hear very often…
Good signing. Provides solid depth without the huge drop off in talent when starters need a rest – also a back up plan in case McCoy gets hurt again for the 4th time in 6 years. I love having GMC on our team but he hasn’t proven to be a durable player thus far.
How good of a signing this is will depend on the details of the contract.