Miami Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes is an excellent example of a star player who took a one-year, prove-it deal after an injury and immediately returned to top form, but I don’t know if you can add Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Henry Melton to the list of players who made the most of post-injury prove-it deals in free agency. Melton was overshadowed by the elite offense and breakouts from Rolando McClain and Tyrone Crawford, but he played a critical role in the Cowboys improvements on defense, particularly as they came to the pass rush under ace coach Rod Marinelli.
Back when he played for the Chicago Bears, Melton was one of the NFL’s best interior pass rushers, and he didn’t miss a beat upon his return to health. There were offseason rumblings about how he looked hobbled and potentially washed up, but his five sacks, four passes defended, and consistent pressure tell a different story.
Although Melton will never give you guaranteed solid run defense up the middle (he had just 15 tackles last season), his value as a 4-3 DT lies in his ability to get after the quarterback. It’s important to have good run defense up the gut, but with pass rushing at a premium in the league today, Melton’s efficiency when pinning his ears and disrupting the passing game is of paramount importance.
The problem for Melton is that he suffered yet another significant injury, as he was placed on the injured reserve last month with a bone bruise in his knee. Although the Cowboys certainly missed him in the playoffs, the knee had to be more damaging to his free agent options than the Cowboys on-field success. At 28, Melton is in the prime of his career, but the significant knee injuries are red flags and prevent him from really cashing in.
A few days ago, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News wrote a piece that contained quotes from Jerry Jones on the chances of the Cowboys picking up Melton’s three-year option, and it’s quite clear that they don’t plan on shelling out $24 million over three seasons with $9 million in guaranteed money.
Despite the presence of that option that would kick in if the Cowboys keep him on the roster at the start of the new league year, there’s no doubt in my mind that Melton will hit the free agent market or sign a new deal with the team. He played well last season, but he didn’t do well enough to justify that kind of money.
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The sad thing is that even though Melton did everything right on the field in order to put himself in a position to receive a significant payday, there’s a chance he won’t get it, especially if he’s looking for a long-term contract. Injuries will be mentioned frequently with him if he hits the open market, so any deal involving Melton would not include much guaranteed money, especially not the kind of guaranteed cash that was mentioned in his three-year option with the Cowboys.
Melton was once again one of the league’s most consistent interior pass rushers last season, quietly recording ten QB hits. The problem is that he’s expendable in the Dallas Cowboys eyes, and he’s guaranteed to hit the free agent market. I mean, the Cowboys have someone younger and even better in Crawford, and they can’t afford to keep him at a $9.25 million cap hit. He’s hitting the open market, and the only way the Cowboys keep him is if he can’t find a better deal on the open market than the one the Cowboys would be willing to give to him (since they aren’t willing to give him another big contract).
It will be interesting to see just how much his latest knee injury affects him, since he isn’t a well-rounded DT and isn’t the youngest impending free agent around. That said, Henry Melton is still a top-notch option for teams running a 4-3 defense that need someone who can get after the quarterback, since this guy has consistently been one of the best in that facet of the game. He’s in a position to make a solid amount of cash, but the exact dollar amount and years involved are huge mysteries.
With 433 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, it’s not like he logged many snaps, so there are probably some teams skeptical of his ability to be a true every-down player, especially since his run defense was deplorable in his lone season with Dallas. He’s an option to keep in mind, though, because teams in need of a pass rushing boost would do well to add him, even if his expected price tag remains unclear. It’s also uncertain if he’ll leave Dallas after hitting free agency, since the Cowboys could still use him and might be willing to pay just a little bit more than someone else.
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