Back in April, the Dallas Cowboys used their 28th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to select former Michigan Wolverine defensive end Taco Charlton. It wasn’t a surprise they drafted a defensive end in the first round, but it was shocking to some who they decided to go with. The bashing of Charlton has been relentless ever since, especially since he has failed to register a single quarterback sack this season.
The only time Taco Charlton’s name comes up in a conversation is when someone says the Dallas Cowboys would’ve been a better off drafting T.J. Watt or anyone else for that matter. Watt is the name that comes up the most, especially since he has already registered four sacks this season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It just seems like nearly all of Cowboys Nation is ready to write off Taco Charlton, even though he’s only played six total games in the NFL. Yes, we would all like to see him make an immediate impact, but that is extremely rare for rookie pass rushers. I would say to remain patient, but unfortunately we live in a society that wants to be instantly gratified.
The Dallas Cowboys coaching staff haven’t really done the young pass rusher any favors either. The entire Cowboys organization knew Taco was a work in progress when they drafted him and that it would take time for him to develop. But, we all know the best way to do that is to get him on the field to get him up to speed as quickly as possible and build his confidence.
Well, with both Benson Mayowa and Damontre Moore inactive against the San Francisco 49ers, Taco Charlton played the most snaps of his entire NFL career to date. Whether it was by design or not, Charlton played 37 snaps against the 49ers and had arguably the best game of his professional career so far.
Now, Charlton unfortunately is still looking for his first career QB sack in the NFL, but according to the coaches’ breakdown, he did register two quarterback pressures and a pass breakup. It may seem like a small thing, but it would indicate he’s taking a step in the right direction. More playing time might just be the key to tapping into his potential.
“He needs to play more,” coach Jason Garrett said. “But he fought well, he competed well, he was around the ball. Made his presence known a little bit at the line of scrimmage knocking the ball down. So he’s getting there. He’s going about it the right way in practice. It’s a good opportunity for him to play a lot of snaps in that game. He’ll grow from that experience.”
We are definitely hoping Charlton grows from the experience and continues to progress. Unfortunately, it’s never going to be fast enough for most Cowboys fans. I however believe in remaining patient and would suggest everyone else do so as well.
Taco Charlton is fully aware of what’s being said about him and the perception that the Dallas Cowboys made a mistake drafting him with the 28th overall pick. The only thing he can do is continue to keep his head down and do what’s asked of him.
Personally, I think Taco Charlton is going to be just fine in time. He seems to be getting better and was just a step away from earning his first QB sack in the NFL against the 49ers. Once he learns how to finish, I think the sacks will start piling up.
Good to see some positive stats for Taco this past game. You wrote before the bye that the kid needed more playing time to improve and it looks like the front office and coaches definitely agree. It is time to let Taco play a lot, build his confidence and his skill level, and hopefully turn his talent loose. I think the kid will be fine, and prove to be a positive force for our line in the years to come. Has to benefit from playing on the line with Tank, Irving, and Collins. Lot’s of one on one chances to make plays. I say he gets his first sack this weekend!! Let the good times roll with Taco
This game against the Redskins could definitely be his best chance to get his first QB sack. The Redskins offensive line will be banged up. Just about every player on their OL was injured at some point in the game against the Eagles. Hopefully Taco can take advantage of that.
Agreed. A sack would really help him develop some positive momentum moving forward, and we will need all the pass rush we can get in ththeoming weeks
Check out my article tomorrow. It’s about five players the Cowboys should try trading for before the trade deadline. Two of them are pass rushers.
I have been by his side from day because there is something called a learning curve, and in comparison to most DEs especially one’s we would’ve liked no one’s dominating. Keep in mind also TJ Watt got his mainly off of the Cleveland Browns so we’ll see going forward.
Very well stated. I think it has a lot to do with the expectations for Dallas Cowboys rookies, especially after last season. Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and the rest of the 2016 draft class have really raised the bar, so anything less than that type of performance for rookies is kind of disappointing now. I think Taco will be fine in time, but he may never be a dominating player. It’s a rarity many pass rushers are unless they are a top 10-15 draft pick.
That’s traditionally where you find the blue chip pass rusher’s but I also believe that there’s evidence to support the contrary. Really what it’s going to come down to is Jerry and the front office sacrificing assets to go get that caliber of player, I’m still stung that we didn’t go Fletcher Cox years ago.
I think the expectations were that the Cowboys were going to find a blue-chip pass rusher in the 28th slot. I think that’s why everybody is disappointed with Taco. I’m right there with you about Fletcher Cox. Marinelli seems to have a specific type of DT in mind and unfortunately the Cowboys have missed out on some good ones because of it.
I know that was just before we went back to the 4-3, and maybe because we had Rob Ryan at DC he may have felt better about Mo. Especially considering they were trying to rebuild the secondary on the fly at that point too, I just wish really we had coach Zim here tbh.
You’re right, it was before the went to the 4-3. I can’t fault them for choosing who they did at the time, but it is a terrible decision in hindsight. Fortunately, the Cowboys have been much better drafting players since then.