Taco Charlton ruled out after injuring ankle against Panthers

Taco Charlton has left Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers with an injury.

The Kansas City Chiefs have lost Taco Charlton to an ankle injury early in the first quarter on the game’s opening drive for the Carolina Panthers. Charlton has left the game and is now out for the rest of Week 9, per a release from the team at halftime.

The Chiefs have gotten a nice return from their low-end investment in Charlton so far this year as a situational pass rusher. He has only 7 tackles, 4 quarterback hits and 2 sacks in limited snaps over 6 games, so the stat sheet doesn’t tell the full story. However when combined with the Chiefs other pass rushers, he’s part of an important rotation that keeps the line disruptive no matter who is in the game.

Charlton first signed with the Chiefs this offseason as a potential low-risk, high-reward addition due to his status as a former first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, his stints with both the Dallas Cowboys, the team that drafted him, and the Miami Dolphins, who gave him a change-of-scenery opportunity, both decided to move on from him. However, the Chiefs felt he was worthy of a closer look this offseason.

The Chiefs continue to be tested at defensive end through the season so far. Alex Okafor has been injured for multiple stretches already. Frank Clark was hurting earlier this week in practice with a swollen knee and was listed on the injury report. Mike Danna recently returned from injured reserve after dealing with a hamstring injury as well.