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Henry Melton made it to Dallas, where he'll visit with the #Cowboys this week. Was negotiating with #Seahawks last night, others in the mix
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2014
It briefly looked like the Seahawks had gotten Henry Melton to stay in Seattle last night following their contract negotiations with him.
But per Rapoport, Melton is following through on his plan to visit the Cowboys (probably on Monday), which likely means the Seahawks were unable to close the deal with Melton. To use a popular free agency euphemism, the Seahawks "let him leave the building without signing a contract", which now opens the door for the Cowboys to agree to a contract with Melton. However, such a contract is unlikely to come cheap, as both the Vikings and Seahawks likely remain in the mix for his services, and the Dallas Morning News is reporting that "talks are heating up with several teams". But given that Melton is still a relatively young at 27 years of age, the Cowboys may feel comfortable giving him a long-term contract.
In Dallas, Melton would be reunited with his former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, and would be coming back to his hometown.
Melton must be considered to be at the very top of the Cowboys' admittedly slim list of free agency targets, despite the fact that he is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season. For the Cowboys, Melton would be a key piece in rebuilding their defensive line. In 2012, Pro Football Focus ranked Melton the fifth best pass-rushing defensive tackle and had him ranked number one in run stop percentage. He is easily the best remaining defensive tackle on the market.
Now it's time for Jerry Jones to fly him over AT&T Stadium in the Cowboys private jet, have him play Madden on the scoreboard at the stadium, give him a virtual tour of the new practice facilities, let him hold all five Lombardi Trophies - and to not let him leave the building without signing a contract.
.@HenMel did NOT 'finalize deal' w #Seahawks last nite. Is back in DFW. #Cowboys w tentative Mon/Tue visit plan. Other bidders, too
— mike fisher (@fishsports) March 16, 2014
Henry Melton is back in Dallas, meets with Cowboys tomorrow but talks going on with several teams heating up.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 16, 2014
