Think back if you will to NFL Draft night 2017. Some Cowboys fans were hoping that the Cowboys would land one of the many premier CB prospects such as Kevin King who went to Green Bay 5 picks after Dallas. Others, myself included, expected T.J Watt to be the Cowboys choice and he was selected only 2 picks later. My personal favorite that year, Takkarist McKinley was already off the board because the Falcons traded up to snatch him ahead of the Cowboys. Instead of any of those players, the Dallas Cowboys chose Taco Charlton, for better or for worse. It turns out, it was for worse. It also turns out, that Charlton was not the highest rated player on the Cowbys draft board but was selected regardless based on position need. A lesson learned for the Cowboys future draft decisions, and a tragic story it ended up being for both parties. A story which concluded with Taco Charlton released from the Cowboys this week.
It is hard for any Cowboys fan to complain about Taco Charlton’s status as a first round bust. The Cowboys track record with 1st round picks before and after Taco is impeccable. Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leighton Vander Esch are the other first rounders during the Will McClay era and every single one of them has reached All-Pro status. One bad Taco, does not spoil the whole bunch. Still, with Taco Charlton released prior to playing out his rookie contract, it is truly a sad ending to Taco’s uneventful Cowboys career.
Taco Charlton’s NFL career is not over. In fact he will be on the oppositions sideline this Sunday when the Cowboys take on the Miami Dolphins. Perhaps a fresh start will allow him to realize his full potential. For whatever reason, whether that be the depth of the Dallas Cowboys defensive line, injuries that stunted Charlton’s early development, lack of opportunity, not seeing eye to eye with coaches….whatever the cause, Charlton turned out to be a soft Taco in Dallas. In the end, he and the Cowboys mutually decided that they had had enough of each other . Taco is granted his wish to be “free” and the Cowboys cut bait despite eating up the dead money owed on Charlton’s rookie contract.
The Taco Charlton story may have had a sad ending in Dallas but there is a silver lining. In the past, the Cowboys would hang onto their failed draft picks, such as they did with Morris Claiborne. That is obviously not the case here with Taco Charlton. There are number of reasons as to why the Cowboys are changing their behavior. It could be that the coach is being permitted to establish a culture in the locker room despite the conflicting opinion of ownership. It could also simply be that the Cowboys have too much talent and depth to waste a roster spot on player who is not performing up to expectation. Either way, it is a sign that this 2019 team is moving in the right direction and behaving like a winning team behaves. Hopefully, the Cowboys can transform this winning mentality into more wins on the field for years to come.
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