Dallas Cowboys insider: Whispers about releasing Taco Charlton

Following the best performance of his career, one Dallas Cowboys insider is hearing whispers about a possible release of former first-rounder Taco Charlton.

There is little doubt that defensive end Taco Charlton can not be seen as anything other than a draft bust so far in his career. A first-round selection in 2017, 28th overall, the lanky 6-foot-6, 275-pound defender was seen as a developmental player coming out of Michigan. Now, it’s being rumored that the high draft pick is under consideration to be released by the Cowboys this weekend.

Ironically, Charlton is coming off the best performance of his three-year career so far. Against the Houston Texans in the Cowboys’ third preseason game Saturday night, Taco racked up three total tackles, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass defend in limited snaps against the Texans’ porous offensive line.

Unfortunately for Charlton, this kind of effort has rarely been seen from the 24-year old. In 2017, Taco posted a promising rookie campaign racking up 19 combined tackles and 3.0 sacks in a 16-game season without a single start.

After a stellar offseason, Charlton was poised to have a breakout sophomore season in Dallas. But a lingering shoulder injury limited Taco in 2018. And despite starting in seven of his 11 game appearances (including a healthy scratch), Charlton recorded a sobering single sack last year.

Once again, Charlton has posted a solid offseason campaign and seems to have matured over the past few months. It all appeared to culminate with his breakout performance against the Texans on Saturday night. But according to one Cowboys’ insider, the team is still considering releasing Charlton during final cuts later this week.

Here’s what DallasCowboys.com football analyst Bryan Broaddus said during Wednesday’s episode of the Talkin’ Cowboys podcast.

"“I don’t know if it’s trading Taco [Charlton] because Mickey [Spagnola] will tell you if you trade Taco you’re gonna take a $3 million cap hit. But I’ve also been told don’t be surprised because their talking about releasing him. Even if it’s a $3 million hit, I’m hearing some whispers now about that’s in consideration. So, keep an eye on that.”"

This would be a shocking move by the Cowboys as Charlton is coming off a stellar performance. Although, that could make the former first-rounder a more attractive trade commodity as well. And Dallas could certainly use some help along their offensive line, especially at the swing tackle position.

The news that the Dallas Cowboys are thinking about releasing Taco Charlton likely made sense prior to his performance against the Texans. Now that the young defender finally seems to get it, to cut him now seems illogical. But there are likely things that have and are happening behind the scenes we are unaware of that is factoring into these considerations as well. Still, if the rumors are true, getting something in exchange the former first-rounder would be preferable to an outright release.