We are still a few months from the beginning of the 2017 NFL season, but the expectations for this year’s Cowboys really couldn’t be any higher.
While I have a few reasons I believe we should probably pump the brakes just a tad, that hype train has certainly already left the station.
Ironically, the one player which doesn’t have very high expectations coming into the season is their first round pick defensive end Taco Charlton. Not really adored by the Cowboys fan base prior to the draft, Charlton comes into his rookie season rather quietly.
Even if he was the first round pick for America’s Team.
A few days ago, fellow Cowboys blogger Marcus Mosher posed this question on Twitter:
If I set the over/under on Taco Charlton sacks at 4.5, where you going?
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) June 17, 2017
It’s certainly an interesting thought. Typically, rookie pass rushers don’t come away with high sack totals in their first season, unless they are Joey Bosa type. When you consider that Taco Charlton is not only a rookie pass rusher, but a rookie pass rusher taken in the back-end of the first round, it’s hard to expect too much in terms of sacks.
Still, I think 4.5 is a good baseline to work from for Charlton. If he were to finish his rookie season with 4 sacks, I think that would be a relatively successful first year in the league. It would leave him some room to grow as a player for sure, but it would be a nice start.
Most Cowboys fans seemed to be replying to Marcus with “way over,” but I just don’t know if that is reasonable. Personally, I think 4-5 sacks for Taco Charlton sounds about right in year one.
Hopefully, for the sake of the Dallas Cowboys, he can prove me wrong.
I’m going with 6 assuming he doesn’t get injured. I think thats reasonably attainable.
As with all of off-season, it’s all speculation. We just have to see what Charlton looks like. I figure him at LDE with Lawrence at RDE, but would not be surprised to see Marinelli flip him to see what each side looks like for him.
I venture but cannot know, that they liked Charlton on the idea he is big enough to move inside right next to Irving. Of course, now Irving is out for 4 games. But I see that as a possibility – Charlton has enough bulk for DT, enough north-south agility, and they both have long arms.
Irving will have to right himself when he comes back, or he’s not starting. He has to show progress from last year. But I like the idea of obstructing the passing lanes with both of those players side by side.
5, and I don´t see that number increase much later in his carrer, if the defense improve in sacks will be as a team, many members of the DL averaging 5 sacks, I guess is what Marinelli is expecting for.