Saints Roster: Realistic expectations for Taco Charlton in 2022
This is the first year for Taco Charlton on the New Orleans Saints roster. What should be expected of the former first-round pick?
It hasn’t been an easy road for Taco Charlton since entering the NFL. Despite going in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Charlton hasn’t been able to live up to that first-round hype. He was quite the phenomenon during his collegiate days at Michigan but that hasn’t translated to the pros.
After just two years in Dallas, the Cowboys moved on from their first-round pick and he’s since tried to stick with the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Steelers. The New Orleans Saints are his fifth NFL team in six years but the Saints should be a good fit for him.
Charlton is someone who can still get after the quarterback and as a rotational piece in the Saints defense, he should be able to do just that.
Saints Roster: What should fans expect from Taco Charlton in 2022?
Our Lads currently has Charlton as the third-string right defensive end behind fellow former first-rounders Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner. The Saints get a lot of traction out of their backups and if Charlton makes the team, he should be able to see the field throughout the season.
Last year with the Steelers, Charlton appeared in 11 games and had 18 tackles and 0.5 sacks on the year. He won’t be a major piece in the Saints’ defensive plan but with both Davenport and Turner’s injury history, there’s a chance he sees more playing time than just as a third-stringer.
Charlton hasn’t panned out as a first-round pick but the next step in his NFL career is to prove that he can be a competent reserve. That’s what he can prove in New Orleans and there might not be a better landing spot for him than with the Saints’ defense.
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