DALLAS — A point of clarification: the title of this article isn't calling defensive end Taco Charlton a failure. Rather, it is to point out that his time in Dallas was a failure with his tenure in Dallas coming to a close with an unceremonious release on Wednesday. I don't know that even Charlton himself could argue against that. There is still a lot of meat in that Taco. Having said that as a preamble, let's get to it.
The Cowboys selected Charlton with the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, and the intention was to find a defensive end that could be the "war daddy" owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones was searching for. At that point, DeMarcus Lawrence was coming off of another back surgery and the club had lost another heart-breaker in the divisional playoffs to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys offense looked promising with Dak Prescott taking over for Tony Romo, Ezekiel Elliott winning the NFL rushing title as a rookie, and Dez Bryant seemingly recovered from his broken foot in 2015. The new era Triplets were bolstered by an offensive line that featured three All-Pros in left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin.
That defensive line was a real problem with just 29 sacks generated in 2016 with Benson Mayowa leading the way with 6.0.
Dallas took Charlton because he was first-team All-Big Ten his senior year and produced 13.5 sacks. He had the "measurables" the scouting department liked at 6-5, 277 pounds, and a 34-1/4 inch arm length.
"One thing about Taco is he's got a high floor," Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones told 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] on July 24, 2017. "And I think he's going to be a solid football player. The question is what the ceiling going to be. Is he going to be a solid player? Is he going to be a good player? Is he going to be a great player? And I think a lot of that remains to be seen."
Through his first season, Charlton produced 19 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks, three tackles for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in his 16 games played, none of which he started.
The general thinking was that it took a defensive lineman three years to really catch on, so, Charlton was going to be a late bloomer. It didn't help that edge rusher T.J. Watt, taken the pick after Charlton, made the Pro Bowl that season as a disruptive force for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, there were comparisons to a player the Cowboys could have, should have taken instead of Charlton.
Charlton's second season wasn't much better, though the Cowboys "war daddy" situation seemed to get better with Lawrence making the Pro Bowl and posting a double-digit sack season in 2017. Charlton started in seven of the 11 games he was active, producing 27 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, five tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery.
Even though Dallas had found their pass rusher in Lawrence, they missed on that first-round pick with Charlton, and it could be a problem later down the road.
The reason the Cowboys were able to trade for Amari Cooper in 2018 was because of how well they had hit on their first-round picks since 2010. The only pick who didn't pan out was cornerback Morris Claiborne in 2012, and even though Bryant, a 2010 pick, was no longer with the team, he gave the Cowboys quality years from 2010-17.
All of the other picks — Smith (2011), Frederick (2013), Martin (2014), Byron Jones (2015), Elliott (2016), Leighton Vander Esch (2018) — provided the Cowboys quality seasons and were the foundation for their success. Dallas was able to look back on their previous nine drafts and see just one miss. 7-out-of-8 ain't bad, and that allowed them to take a gamble with Cooper.
"We have shown that if it's the right guy and it makes the difference, then we would consider it," Jones told "The Fan" on Sept. 16. "But I can't say there's anyone right now that we're looking at on any team that would warrant a first-round pick for us right now that we think might be available."
With the Cooper trade, it resets their time frame for hits and misses. Now, they have to include the Charlton pick as a failure, Vander Esch as their only viable first-rounder, and the 2019 pick being lost in the trade with Cooper. It puts greater value on their 2020 and 2021 picks, especially since the player personnel department led by Will McClay has shown the proficiency to nail those picks.
It's why Minkah Fitzpatrick is in Pittsburgh. It's probably why Jalen Ramsey won't come to Dallas.
The Charlton pick won't wreck Dallas in terms of not having an adequate pass rusher or really amplify their druthers for another draft pick. It just puts a premium on their next couple of first-rounders and could make them less likely to use them in big trades to acquire top level veteran talent.
Do you think the Cowboys should be more open to trading their first round picks in case they don't pan out like Taco Charlton? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.