I suggested this before, and it got shot down. Basically if it was 1 slot there would be no reason for ranged to carry a cut dmg 1H or a knockdown mace with half the reach for their melee weapon. It would probably be used by many cav as a weapon once de-horsed for the same reason.
If it was 1 slot with the current stats and cost, it would be too good of a backup weapon compared to other cheap ones.