The Miami Dolphins are parting ways with one of their defensive ends, as they announced on Thursday that they were waiving Taco Charlton. The 25-year-old spent just one season with the Dolphins and recorded 21 combined tackles and a career-high five sacks in 10 games played. He will now be free to sign with another NFL team.
Charlton was originally drafted with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He showed promise during his senior season at Michigan by recording 10 sacks. Charlton spent the majority of his time in Dallas as DeMarcus Lawrence's backup and eventually his spot on the roster came into question. Two weeks into the 2019 season, the Cowboys made the decision to release him after failing to find a trade partner. In 27 games with the Cowboys, Charlton recorded 46 combined tackles and just four sacks.
Although Charlton played in just 10 games, he finished as the Dolphins' sack leader with five. He seemed to show some improvement during his lone season in Miami, so another team may take a flier on him. The Dolphins clearly viewed him as expendable, however, as they selected former Clemson defensive end Christian Wilkins with the No. 13 overall pick in last year's draft. In 2019, he recorded 56 combined tackles and two sacks in 16 games (14 starts).
The Dolphins had a big offseason as far as the defensive side of the ball goes. They signed linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and also made Byron Jones the wealthiest cornerback in the league. The Dolphins also drafted three defensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft: Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis out of Alabama, defensive end Jason Strowbridge out of UNC and defensive end Curtis Weaver out of Boise State.