
Defensive end Taco Charlton has struggled to maximize his potential in the NFL. Could the Kansas City Chiefs be the team to help him realize it?
The Kansas City Chiefs decided to sign fourth-year defensive end Taco Charlton late Friday night. Charlton is set to play for his third team in the last three years, and given that two teams with needs on defense have released him, there are some question marks. A first-round pick in 2017 by the Dallas Cowboys, Charlton’s attitude and consistency have both been a problem.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is once again taking a low-risk chance on a former first-round pick. Charlton was cut by the Cowboys just two weeks into the 2019 regular season. He would sign with the Miami Dolphins, but the Dolphins would elect to release him Thursday night. Without being claimed until late Friday night, Charlton’s fifth-year option is out the window.
Coming out of Michigan, there were concerns about Charlton’s consistency and motivation. Many analysts believed that if there were a defensive coordinator that could light a fire under him, it would be Rod Marinelli. That was not the case, as the former Wolverine found himself in the doghouse with Marinelli becoming a healthy scratch.
The same thing happened in Miami late in the 2019 season. After producing four sacks in his first five games with the Dolphins, Charlton would only have one sack for the rest of the season. During the final four weeks of the season, he was a healthy scratch. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Charlton showed a poor attitude at that time of the season.
After a poor attitude and a lack of production have pushed himself off of two different teams, what do the Kansas City Chiefs see in him? Could they be the team that gets the most out of the young pass rusher? How would he fit the scheme and roster?