Tag Archive for: Taco Charlton

Charles Harris

Miami Dolphins trade DE Charles Harris to Atlanta Falcons for 7th round pick

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After releasing veteran DE Taco Charlton on Thursday, the Miami Dolphins took the predictable next step and moved on from former first-round pick Charles Harris on Friday. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, GM Chris Grier actually managed to find a trade partner. In exchange for Charles Harris, the Dolphins will receive a 2021 seventh-round pick.

Considering Charles Harris has only 3.5 sacks throughout his entire three seasons with the Dolphins, it’s shocking the Falcons were willing to give up an asset for him. With that trade, Miami now has a total of 10 draft picks ready for the 2021 NFL Draft. Their extra first and second-rounders come from last year’s trade that sent Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to the Houston Texans. The extra sixth-rounder comes from the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

  • 1st Round – 2 picks
  • 2nd Round – 2 picks
  • 3rd Round – 1 pick
  • 4th Round – 1 pick
  • 5th Round – 1 pick
  • 6th Round – 2 picks
  • 7th Round – 1 pick

Harris’s departure is under the same circumstances as Taco Charlton’s. The Miami Dolphins have added a lot of talent at both defensive end and outside linebacker for their 3-4 defense. For different reasons, neither Charlton nor Harris were expected to contribute. Charlton is speculated as not being a “locker room guy,” while Harris was simply unproductive. Consequently, the door is open for the likes of Curtis Weaver, Jason Strowbridge, and Miami’s free agent haul to provide what Harris couldn’t.

All of a sudden, the Dolphins roster is now devoid of any of their hand-picked first-round talent from 2009-2018. The only one who remains is WR DeVante Parker, who recently signed a 4-year, $30 million dollar contract after a breakout season. However, while Harris will remain as a certified bust on Chris Grier’s resume, Grier deserves credit for not hanging on to hope for too long and cutting ties in a timely manner.

Now Miami can move forward with new, more scheme-fitting talent. In essence, the extra pick is icing on the cake that allows the Dolphins to continue building for the future.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for seven years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Taco Charlton

Miami Dolphins release veteran DE Taco Charlton

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It would seem that Taco Tuesday in Miami has come to an abrupt end. The Miami Dolphins are releasing veteran defensive end Taco Charlton after he led the team in 2019 with five sacks. This continues the Dolphins roster churn as they look for the best possible talent.

Charlton, 25, was picked up off waivers from the Cowboys last September. In his short stint with the Dolphins, Charlton played in ten games, made 21 tackles and – as previously mentioned – led the team in individual sacks with five. As a former first-round pick for Dallas (28th overall in 2017), Charlton was never able to live up to his first-round potential. But Miami made it a point to give several castoffs a chance to revitalize their careers last season, to no avail.

Despite Charlton’s numbers, he fell out of favor with the coaching staff and soon found himself inactive on game days. Coaches never gave a concrete reason as to why Charlton wasn’t playing on Sundays. However, speculation is that Charlton didn’t have the versatility they were looking for in their defense.

“We base who plays and all of that stuff based on game plan.” Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said last December. “The thing is Taco is working hard. That’s what we’ve asked him to do. Then based on game plan, we make a decision on that.”

 

The hope among fans was that Charlton would get an chance to compete in training camp for a roster spot. If anyone was to be released, it would be fellow former 2017 first-round pick Charles Harris, who has only 3.5 sacks in his entire career.

Whether it was Harris or Charlton, the likelihood of either or both of these players no longer being with the team in 2020 was high. The Dolphins invested a lot of capital in shoring up the defense in hopes of creating a pass rush. Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah all project to offer both pass rushing and edge setting at either defensive end or outside linebacker. Then in the draft, Miami selected second-round defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, fifth-round defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge and sixth-round defensive end Curtis Weaver.

Not only that, the Dolphins also have linebackers on the roster who can rush the passer. Vince Biegel signed his restricted free agent tender for $2,133,000 and was disruptive all season. 2019 draft pick Andrew Van Ginkel is also capable of getting to the QB in a hurry.

All of these additions and holdovers make Charlton expendable. The new players on Miami’s roster all offer versatility that Taco Charlton does not. The Dolphins aren’t looking for pure pass rushers anymore. Their 3-4 defense requires players who can set the edge and stop the run. Speed rushing is no longer a high priority.

There will be more moves made as teams shuffle their rosters to find the best possible combination of 90 players.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for seven years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Taco Charlton

Miami Dolphins get help defensively with Taco Charlton

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In what has been a very busy day for the Miami Dolphins, they made moves on Thursday. According to multiple media reports, the Miami Dolphins claimed defensive end Taco Charlton. His deal is said to be two years in length.

Charlton was drafted in the first round with the 28th overall pick back in 2017. A member of the Dallas Cowboys from 2017-2019, he came into the National Football League with an impressive resume.  A former Michigan star, he was named to the All-Big Ten first team in 2016. His 2016 season was one for the books. He recorded 10 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss in 11 games.

In 27 career games, he has started seven of them. He has recorded 46 tackles and four sacks. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but this should help the Dolphins at least add stability at the position.

What can Taco Charlton bring to the Miami Dolphins?

Taco Charlton will be able to bring versatility to Miami. Especially on a two-year deal, he has everything to gain, and I think that will reflect in his performance on the field. With this deal totaling $2.5 million, this is a very low-risk, high-reward signing.

He will be able to bring a versatile presence to the Miami Dolphins defensive line. This is something that will fit today’s National Football League very well. The Dolphins need to have pass rushers that can bring pressure from all angles. Charlton can help fill that void. This Miami team ranks 26th in the entire National Football League with three sacks on the season. Although Charlton only recorded one sack on the season last year, his tackle numbers suggest that he can be the Swiss Army knife of sorts on that defense.

Depending on his performance over the next two seasons, I could see Charlton being a mainstay on the defense as the Miami Dolphins go through this rebuild. He would undoubtedly be a veteran on this roster. It will be interesting to see exactly how he fits into this defense and what type of impact he will make. He definitely has the potential to help the Dolphins, but he could also be just a holdover as the team tries to build their roster. We’ll have to see how it all unfolds.

Charles Harris

Will the Dolphins claim Taco Charlton off waivers?

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Can Taco Charlton help at all this season?

Heading into the 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins had several glaring weaknesses. And aside from the warts we continue to see each and every day in South Florida, pass-rusher remains at the top of the list.  Truth is, Miami has all the money and draft capital in the world, but that can’t be used until the league year strikes 2020.  So for now, they must continue to bring in low-risk, high-reward signings in hopes of building a young nucleus.  Which leads us to the 28th-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Taco Charlton.

Charlton, 24, was recently released by the Dallas Cowboys after he took to social media to voice his displeasure with his role in Big D.  He believes he deserves a bigger role elsewhere, and Miami might be the perfect destination.

The age old saying ‘One man’s trash, is another man’s treasure’ applies to the situation.  After all, Charlton amassed 46 (18 solo) tackles and 4 sacks in his two seasons with the Cowboys.  Ironically enough, Charles Harris has 43 (18 solo) and 3 sacks in two years.  Harris was drafted six picks before Taco.

The question isn’t whether or not the Dolphins should use a waiver claim on Taco Charlton, because they should.  But will they have the opportunity to claim him before one of the other 12 teams with a hire waiver claim.

As I learned earlier today, the waiver order is currently based off of last year’s draft order.  Though this will change after the end of Week 3.

Brian Flores could turn Taco into a superstar.  I believe that.

And it can’t hurt that he graduated from the University of Michigan, Ross’ one true love.

Charlton is a player with very good physical attributes, who can be a valuable speed-rusher off the EDGE.

Miami missed out on Clowney.  The same may have been true regarding Trey Flowers.  Nevertheless, Charlton could be an asset on a team with very little hope for the future.  And if not, they cut ties with the 24-year old DE, who is set to make under $4M over the next two seasons.

Miami needs a pass-rusher and Taco needs a new home.

 “Yo Quiero, Taco Charlton”