Lovie Smith officially put Chicago Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton on notice this week by personally and publicly challenging Henry Melton to step up his game and for good reason.

After starting the season with a dominant performance versus the Atlanta Falcons, defensive tackle Henry Melton has since been inconsistent. With Matt Toeaina set to return from injury this week and Stephen Paea earning more snaps in his absence, Henry Melton now finds himself in danger of potentially being left out of the defensive tackle rotation if he does not produce this week.

Lovie Smith normally dresses four defensive tackles per game. This is why second round pick Stephen Paea hadn't been activated until Matt Toeaina's injury in the Lions game created an opening.

In Paea's first game versus the Vikings, he played sparingly though he did make the most of his limited opportunities flashing his trademark strength. The following week versus the Buccaneers, Paea's playing time increased significantly especially at the 3-technique. In that game, Paea outplayed Melton making more of a penetration impact than Henry Melton did. Paea flashed his strength again occasionally pushing linemen out of the way whereas Henry Melton never did.

Even Amobi Okoye did more with his 3-technique snaps than Henry Melton did in the Buccaneers game and arguably during the season up to this point. Both Okoye and Melton have three sacks though Okoye has three more assisted tackles than Melton does albeit with fewer snaps.

Make no mistake about it, Lovie Smith will dress the four best defensive tackles that are making an impact. With Paea making a push for more playing time, Okoye outperforming Melton per snap, and Toeaina set to return from injury, time is quickly running out for Henry Melton to prove he belongs.