Taco Charlton wasn't on the waiver wire for long as the former Dallas Cowboys defensive end was claimed by the Miami Dolphins, the team announced on Thursday. Charlton, a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, will be facing his former team Sunday -- an interesting turn of events after what transpired between the disgruntled pass rusher and the Cowboys over the past few days. As CBS Sports NFL writer Patrik Walker reported earlier this week, Charlton demanded his release from the Cowboys after he reportedly requested to be traded this offseason. The Cowboys couldn't find a suitor for Charlton, who tweeted "Free Me" in the hours leading up to his release (only for the tweet to be deleted soon after).
Charlton's tenure with the Cowboys was a disaster from the start. Charlton battled injury issues and with attitude problems that led to him being benched in 2018 once he was finally healthy. In 27 games with the Cowboys, Charlton started seven of them and had 46 tackles, four sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. Injury issues also plagued Charlton in the offseason as he had two separate surgeries, one on his ankle and another on his shoulder. Charlton was also injured in the preseason and was inactive for the Cowboys in the first two games of the year.
Now Charlton will get a chance at vengeance against the team that drafted him. The Dolphins run a 3-4 defense with 2019 first-round pick Christian Wilkins occupying one for the end spots and John Jenkins at the other end. The Dolphins don't have much depth on the edge, as Jonathan Ledbetter hybrids between end and tackle, which will give Charlton an opportunity to play some snaps in his Miami debut. In a best-case scenario, Charlton will step in as a situational pass rusher.
It doesn't hurt Charlton can give a quick scouting report on the Cowboys as well.
