Bears tackle Melton making an impression

Training camp is barely a week old, but already Henry Melton has made his presence felt, flashing quickness and the ability to get to the quarterback from the 3-technique tackle spot.

Melton seemed out of place playing inside last season because he was listed at just 260 pounds, but in limited snaps he had 2½ sacks, fourth best on the team.

This season, the 6-foot-3 Melton is listed at 295 pounds, and he doesn’t appear to have lost any of the quickness that allowed him to play in 25 games at Texas as a running back. He was drafted as a defensive end, where he started 10 games for the Longhorns, but the Bears’ coaching staff quickly identified him as a player who could have a pass-rush presence inside by using his quickness against bigger guards and centers.

“I’m not saying he’s not a fit at end,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “But what you look for inside is movement and speed. He’s filled out, but he’s got tailback speed. I like guys inside a little bit shorter (because) your natural knee bend is a little bit easier. And he’s an athlete who can bend. It’s about the speed and quickness over a guard because you have to win inside. I want to keep him inside.”

Fighting it out:

One of the more interesting position battles in camp is at left cornerback, where Tim Jennings unseated Zack Bowman last season after three games.

On paper the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Bowman seems to have an advantage over the 5-foot-8, 185-pound Jennings, but the smaller man played with a lot of feistiness and toughness against the run last year, qualities the Bears value in their corners. It’s too soon to predict a winner this year.

“That’s what camp’s about,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “Camp is a lot of fun in terms of that; for these men, too. If you’re competitor, you love to come into those situations. When you get that type of competition, somebody is going to constantly get better, and your depth is going to get better. So we just let the men go out and work on their stuff and put it on tape. This game is still about just putting it on tape.”

One way to go:

In his second season as offensive coordinator, Mike Martz “absolutely” expects to see improvement on his side of the ball despite the absence of off-season training.

“There are a lot of things that we learned last year, and resolving the offensive line is an issue, getting that kind of stabilized. There’s a lot of positive things going into the season where we would expect to be much better and become a much better football team on offense than what we were last year.”

The offense was 30th in total yards last season, 28th in passing yards and 32nd in sacks allowed.

Making progress:

Last season as a rookie, Northwestern’s Corey Wootton was best remembered for the sack in Minnesota that knocked Brett Favre out of the game and essentially ended his career — at least until the next comeback.

That was Wootton’s only sack, as he was inactive in 10 games and saw limited action in six. But it appears the fourth-round draft choice will earn a bigger role this year.

“I like what Wootton has done so far in camp,” Rod Marinelli said. “He’s really trimmed himself down and looks quick; looks fast.”

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