General consensus would tell you that Taco Charlton’s rookie season with the Cowboys was underwhelming.
Taco didn’t set the world on fire, but he delivered some big moments and showed signs of promise. A lot of people unfairly compared him to Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, but players progress at their own time. The two also play different positions. Obviously, we want Taco’s progression to come as soon as possible.
Charlton has a difficult time even getting on the field seeing as how he primarily backed up defensive star DeMarcus Lawrence. DLaw blew up last season to the tune of 14.5 sacks, and he was rewarded with a $17.1M pay day via the franchise tag. Having a first-round pick as his understudy is incredible depth in Dallas.
The Cowboys pass rushers are a group of “mighty orphans” in the eyes of Rod Marinelli, but they’re also teammates that can learn from one another. Hopefully this is a practice that recently reinstated Randy Gregory takes up soon, but it’s one that Taco Charlton is incorporating entering his sophomore season with the Cowboys. He’s been working out with DeMarcus Lawrence.
Taco and Tank pic.twitter.com/nI3gUKOJxp
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) July 18, 2018
Taco and DeMarcus are working with Brandon Tucker (hat tip to Bobby Belt), and they’re doing so in lock step. Those that grind together succeed together, right? Good for Taco understanding that there’s a lot for him to learn from both Lawrence and Tucker.
This is very promising to see as the Cowboys get ready to head out to Oxnard for training camp in less than a week. We’ve talked so much about the secondary this offseason and what Kris Richard can do with players like Chidobe Awuzie and Byron Jones, let’s not forget about Rod Marinelli causing havoc with the guys up front.
There will be a lot of pressure on Taco Charlton to step up in year two. It’s only July and the story will ultimately be told through the fall, but so far so good for Taco through the summer.