Taco Charlton, DE
If there’s any position at which it would be superb to see an injured player looking like he’s in great shape and ready to contribute, it would either be Taco Charlton at defensive end or the aforementioned Baker at cornerback,.
Charlton was signed last season to a cheap one-year deal as the Chiefs hoped that a change of scenery (and coaches) would help maximize the potential of the former Michigan defensive end. As a first round pick, Charlton might never live up to the draft buzz surrounding his entry into the league, but plenty of players have carved out solid careers in the shadow of a high draft slot and Brett Veach loves his reclamation projects.
The Chiefs didn’t get much out of Charlton because he fractured his ankle back midway through the season, which meant his season was over after 7 games (in which he had 7 tackles and 2 sacks). This offseason, he was given another one-year offer to return and try the experiment over again, and this time he’ll be playing with two former teammates in Jarran Reed and Frank Clark.
Defensive end is a perplexing position for the Chiefs right now given the legal proceedings surrounding Clark that still hang overhead. The Chiefs do not need Charlton to be any sort of cornerstone. If he can simply be an effective rotational rusher for a full season, the Chiefs are going to be very thankful they brought him back.