Dallas Cowboys insider: Taco Charlton could be inactive for some games in 2017
A Dallas Cowboys insider hints at the possibility that the team’s top selection in the 2017 NFL Draft could end up being inactive for some games this season.
Whenever a franchise elects to use a first round selection on a player during that year’s NFL Draft, that top prospect is usually excepted to contribute to the team immediately. That means playing in all 16-games of the regular season and seeing a good amount of snaps in each of those matchups.
So just the thought of a first round selection being made inactive for games during their rookie season, and not due to injury or disciplinary action, is nearly unimaginable. But that’s exactly what one Dallas Cowboys insider believes may happen to the team’s 2017 first round selection, Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton. And that’s mainly due to the level of competition at the position this offseason.
"“OK, who is gonna be the better player in training camp between Taco [Charlton] and [Charles] Tapper?” rhetorically asked DallasCowboys.com’s Bryan Broaddus during a radio interview on 105.3 The Fan via the Dallas Morning News this week. “That’s gonna be my comparison right there because if the rotation holds true, one of those guys might be inactive every week. They’re gonna have to have a defensive end inactive.”"
It’s troubling to think a Cowboys first round selection could actually be inactive for some games during his rookie season. But Broaddus, a former NFL scout, appears to think it could be a possibility. Especially considering Tapper has apparently looked much more explosive as a pass rusher than Charlton so far this offseason.
One of Charlton’s biggest knocks coming out of Michigan was his inconsistent play speed. But he is also viewed as a still developing player who racked up 40 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks during his final season in college.
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Drafted in the first round despite the Cowboys having a second round grade for him, it appears Taco Charlton is going to have to earn every minute of playing time in Dallas this season. Especially with others like Charles Tapper, Damontre Moore, Benson Mayowa and David Irving all vying for snaps at that critical right defensive end position.