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Henry Melton

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Henry Melton
refer to caption
Melton with the Chicago Bears in 2010
No. 69, 90
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:(1986-10-11)October 11, 1986(age 38)
Desoto, Texas,U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Grapevine(Grapevine, Texas)
College:Texas
NFL draft:2009/ round: 4 / pick: 105
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:134
Sacks:22.5
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:6
Statsat Pro Football Reference

Henry James Melton[1](born October 11, 1986) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was adefensive endin theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theTexas Longhorns,where he was arunning backfor the2005 National Championship team,and also played onspecial teams.[2]He was drafted by theChicago Bearsin the fourth round of the2009 NFL draftand has also played for theDallas Cowboys.

Early life

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While attending GrapevineHigh SchoolMelton was a second-team "All-USA" selection byUSA Today;he gained over 800 yards and scored eighttouchdownsas a senior.[3]He earned All-District (5-5A) honors as a junior while rushing for over 800 yards and 12 TDs and averaged 6.2 yards per carry in 2003. He also gained over 800 yards as a sophomore. He also lettered inbaseballandtrack.

College career

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Melton's first appearance as a Longhorn was on September 3, 2005, against theLouisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football.[4][5]Melton was a backup running back in his first two seasons, according to Mike Lampe. He carried 132 times for 625 yards (4.7-yard average) and 16 touchdowns. In 2007, Melton switched to defensive tackle.[6]

Over the summer prior to the2007 Longhorn football season,Melton and teammateSergio Kindlewere arrested in separate incidents on charges of driving while intoxicated.[7][8][9]Both players were suspended from the team for the first three games of the season. They were required to do community service and missed the first two days of practice in order to visit with a woman whose son was crippled by a drunk driver.[10]

Melton became a starter in his senior season and had 29 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. As a backup defensive end as a junior, he made 11 tackles with one sack.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Melton measured 6-3⅛ and 269 pounds and ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at the University of Texas Pro Day. He bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times, had a vertical leap of 34½ "and a broad jump of 10'1".

Chicago Bears

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He was selected by theChicago Bearsin the fourth round (105th overall) of the2009 NFL draft.[11]On May 29, 2009, Melton agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Bears.[12]During a preseason game, he returned a kickoff for 20 yards.[13]Melton registered his first NFL sack onBrett Favreduring a Week 10 game against theMinnesota Vikings.[14]

In 2011, Melton recorded a career-high 7 sacks, third most by a defensive tackle, behindBengals'Geno AtkinsandRaiders'Tommy Kelly,who had 7½ sacks apiece. Melton and teammate and centerRoberto Garzawere eventually named to the USA Today All-Joe Team.[15]

In 2012, during organized team activities (OTAs), Melton appeared in the backfield as a running back, resembling former Bears defensive lineman and fullbackWilliam Perry;Melton had not played running back since his days at Texas.[16]In the season opener against theIndianapolis Colts,Melton sackedAndrew Lucktwice as the Bears went on to win 41–21.[17]On December 26, Melton was named to hisfirst Pro Bowl.[18]In the 2012 season, Melton recorded 32 tackles and six sacks, tied for third in the league among defensive tackles.[19]On March 1, 2013, Melton was given the franchise tag by the Bears,[20]worth $8.45 million.[21]

In 2013, Melton was carted from the field during the third game on September 22, against thePittsburgh Steelers,with a left knee injury. ALachman teston the field was indicative of ananterior cruciate ligament injury,and anMRIwas scheduled.[22]On September 23, Melton was ruled out for the remainder of the 2013 season,[23]and was placed on injured reserve four days later.[24]

Dallas Cowboys

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On March 18, 2014, Melton signed a 1-year contract along with incentives, including a team option for 3 more years with theDallas Cowboys,hoping he could regain hisPro Bowlform.[25]After missing the last 13 games of the 2013 season with a torn ACL, he struggled in training camp as his knee recovered and he worked through a groin strain. Although he began the season as a starter atdefensive tackle,injuries forced him into a pass-rushing role, withTyrone Crawfordpassing him on the depth chart. His production faded as the year went on and his season ended with a bone bruise on his right knee and being placed on theinjured reserve listbefore the playoffs. He finished with 5 sacks (registered in the first 9 games), 20 tackles, 17 quarterback pressures, 4 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. On February 14, 2015, the Cowboys declined to exercise the contract's three year option, allowing him to become afree agenton March 14, 2015.[26]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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On March 12, 2015, Melton agreed to terms and signed a one-year contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers,reuniting him with his old head coachLovie Smith.[27]He was a backup that was used atdefensive tackleanddefensive end,posting 30 tackles (second highest mark in his career), 2 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries.

Denver Broncos

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On August 21, 2016, Melton signed a one-year deal with theDenver Broncos.[28]On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Broncos.[29]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2010 CHI 16 0 16 13 3 2.5 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
2011 CHI 15 15 24 18 6 7.0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 CHI 14 14 44 32 12 6.0 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2013 CHI 3 3 5 3 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -1 0
2014 DAL 16 3 15 11 4 5.0 6 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 1 0
2015 TAM 16 1 30 18 12 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0
80 36 134 95 39 22.5 29 0 0 0 0 7 3 6 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2010 CHI 2 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

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On June 1, 2007, while a Junior at the University of Texas, Melton was arrested and charged with intoxicated driving in downtownAustin, Texas.[30]

In 2013, Melton was involved in an altercation at a bar in the Dallas area, but the criminal charges were ultimately dropped by the prosecution.[31]

References

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  1. ^"ESPN Profile".ESPN.com.
  2. ^"Henry Melton #37".MackBrownTexasFootball.Archived fromthe originalon April 19, 2007.RetrievedMarch 14,2007.
  3. ^"Texas Game Notes – Louisiana Lafayette"(PDF).MackBrownTexasFootball. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 16, 2006.RetrievedMarch 14,2007.
  4. ^Golden, Cedric (September 4, 2005). "Charles sets Longhorn mark while taking over for injured Selvin Young; 270-pound Melton flashes speed on scoring run".Austin American-Statesman.
  5. ^"Louisiana-Lafayette vs Texas (Sept 03, 2005)".MackBrownTexasFootball.Archived fromthe originalon July 6, 2006.RetrievedMarch 14,2007.
  6. ^"J.J. Watt, Jared Allen, Jake Long among NFL's best linemen".National Football League.October 24, 2012.RetrievedOctober 24,2012.
  7. ^Jankowski, Philip (August 3, 2007)."Law seeks out Texas football, again".The Daily Texan.Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2007.RetrievedAugust 3,2007.
  8. ^Duarte, Joseph (August 3, 2007)."UT tackle turns self in on aggravated robbery charge".Houston Chronicle.RetrievedAugust 3,2007.
  9. ^Halliburton, Suzanne (August 3, 2007)."Jones suspended indefinitely".Austin American-Statesman.Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2007.RetrievedAugust 3,2007.
  10. ^"Melton, Kindle to miss first three games of season for DWI charges".Associated Press. August 5, 2007.RetrievedAugust 6,2007.
  11. ^"2009 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMay 13,2023.
  12. ^(May 29, 2009)Bears sign Melton[permanent dead link]My Stateline.com. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
  13. ^Koster, Kyle (August 15, 2009)."Now returning kicks for the Bears: Defensive end Henry Melton? – Sports Pros(e)".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2012.RetrievedOctober 16,2012.
  14. ^(November 17, 2010)Bears' Melton credited with sack of QB FavreChicagobreakingnews.com
  15. ^"Garza, Melton land on" All-Joe "team".Chicago Bears.February 9, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2013.RetrievedAugust 4,2012.
  16. ^"Henry Melton the Bears' new 'Fridge'".NFL.com.June 7, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon August 11, 2014.RetrievedAugust 4,2012.
  17. ^"Write Now Blog | 2012 | September | 10".Chicago Bears.September 10, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon September 13, 2012.RetrievedOctober 16,2012.
  18. ^Rosenthal, Gregg (December 26, 2012)."2013 Pro Bowl roster analysis: NFC".National Football League.RetrievedDecember 26,2012.
  19. ^Mayer, Larry (December 28, 2012)."Melton's move pays major dividends".Chicago Bears.Archived fromthe originalon January 2, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 15,2013.
  20. ^Wilkening, Mike (March 1, 2013)."Bears give Henry Melton the franchise tag".Profootballtalk.com.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2013.RetrievedMarch 1,2013.
  21. ^"Agent says Bears' Melton accepts franchise tender".Yahoo! Sports.Associated Press.March 8, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2013.RetrievedMarch 8,2013.
  22. ^Wilson, Aaron (September 23, 2013), NFLPost.com."Bears worried Melton may have torn ACL"
  23. ^Mayer, Larry (September 23, 2013)."Henry Melton out for year with torn ACL".Chicago Bears.RetrievedSeptember 23,2013.
  24. ^Biggs, Brad (September 27, 2013)."Bears sign defensive tackle Cohen, put Melton on IR".Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 29,2013.
  25. ^Rosenthal, Gregg (March 18, 2014)."Cowboys add Henry Melton, unlikely to sign Jared Allen".National Football League.RetrievedMarch 18,2014.
  26. ^George, Brandon."Source: Dallas Cowboys decline to pick up 3-year option on DT Henry Melton's contract, making him a free agent".Dallas Morning News.Archived fromthe originalon February 15, 2015.
  27. ^Smith, Scott (March 12, 2015)."Bucs Get Defensive, Sign Melton, Conte".Buccaneers.com.Archived fromthe originalon March 12, 2015.RetrievedMarch 12,2015.
  28. ^Orr, Conor (August 21, 2016)."Broncos sign Henry Melton to one-year deal".NFL.com.RetrievedAugust 21,2016.
  29. ^Mason, Andrew (September 3, 2016)."Broncos make 23 moves to pare roster at the deadline".DenverBroncos.com.Archived fromthe originalon August 19, 2017.
  30. ^"Texas officials looking into defensive end's arrest".ESPN.June 1, 2007.RetrievedDecember 22,2013.
  31. ^"Charges dropped against Melton in bar case".ESPN.com.Associated Press. May 21, 2014.RetrievedOctober 2,2018.
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