Bucs sign S Conte, DT Melton to 1-year deals

Mar 12, 2015 - 4:28 PM Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed safety Chris Conte and defensive tackle Henry Melton to one-year contracts on Thursday.

Current Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith coached both players when he was at the helm of the Chicago Bears.

Conte, 26, played four seasons for the Bears, who selected him in the third round of the 2011 draft. He had 43 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games last season after getting a career-high 90 tackles and three picks in 16 games in 2013.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound safety appeared in 57 games for Chicago, making 52 starts.

Melton played for the Bears for four seasons between 2010-13 before spending last year with the Dallas Cowboys. He had 15 tackles and five sacks in 16 games for Dallas, including three starts. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound lineman has 20 1/2 sacks in 64 career games, including 35 starts.