Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Henry Melton needs to move to defensive end by Jose Martinez 5h ago 
Henry Melton is an experienced NFL player with seven years of service under his belt, athletic for his 6-foot-3, 290-pound frame and in the prime of his football playing career. But, is Melton a defensive end? According to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ website, the 28-year-old Fort Worth, Texas native is listed as a defensive tackle.So, why are we seeing him put in an ample amount of time as an edge rusher? “We know he has that capability,” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told reporters on Tuesday. “We’ll see as we go. Nothing is conclusive at this point. We just want to be able to take a look at him out there and see how he moved around.”In three preseason games, the Buccaneers have just six sacks. But, Melton has one of them. While the jury is still out on whether or not Jacquies Smith can secure the starting left defensive end position, this shouldn’t factor into head coach Lovie Smith’s decision to make Melton’s move to the edge a permanent thing.After Smith, the left side of the Bucs’ defensive line is awfully thin with second-year pro T.J. Fatinikun backing him up. Moving Melton over to that side helps bolster the position and doesn’t hurt the defensive tackle, which is arguably where they are strongest with William Gholston and Tony McDaniel playing behind Gerald McCoy and Clinton McDonald.Ultimately, the Buccaneers put themselves in this position by not being more active in pursuing an edge rusher in free agency. But that’s neither here nor there at this point. They need to make do with what they currently have on the roster. That means putting Melton exclusively at defensive end.Much like former Buc Michael Bennett, Melton is flexible at playing on the defensive line. Eventually, Bennett played mostly on the edge and his sack totals in a season haven’t dipped below seven since 2012. Matching Bennett’s 2012 production is a lot to ask of Melton, but he is definitely capable of getting the job done.If not *psst* *psst* Dwight Freeney is still waiting by the phone.link
