Why a former first-round pick chose the Chiefs and feels urgency to have a big year
In his first chance to pick an NFL destination, Taco Charlton told his representatives he cared less about money and more about finding an ideal situation. And he meant it.
There’s some evident urgency to jump-start a career that has yet to live up to its first-round promise.
Given the draft capital expended by the Cowboys to acquire him, he was labeled a bust in Dallas. The Cowboys traded him to Miami before he’d completed his third season, and the Dolphins released him after half a year.
Can he put it all together in Kansas City?
Charlton, 25, doesn’t just want to answer in the affirmative. He senses that he needs to do so.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work,” Charlton said. “They took a chance on me, bringing me here, so of course I want to prove everybody right.”
The change-of-scenery trial is a time-tested theory. And Charlton has a predecessor in the route on which he’s embarking.
A year ago, the Chiefs traded for Emmanuel Ogbah, who had managed only 12 1/2 sacks in three years (40 games) in Cleveland. It proved a fit for both sides — Ogbah collected 5 1/2 sacks in 10 games and parlayed that into a free-agent deal with the Dolphins this offseason.
“I think the hope is that maybe Taco can do the same thing,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said of Charlton profiting in a new system.
The Chiefs have worked with Charlton on a football field for only a few weeks after a virtual summer and altered training camp. He was an adept pass rusher at Michigan, where he played alongside Chiefs teammate Frank Clark, registering 10 sacks in 11 games in his senior season.
He’s managed only nine sacks in 37 NFL games, but five of those came in his 10-game stint with the Dolphins to conclude 2019. That represented promise and a step in the right direction. And while it’s a good foundation from which the Chiefs coaches have started, they hope to expand his skill-set beyond ability to rush the passer.
“I’d like to think he’s more than that,” Spagnuolo said. “It’s hard to tell right now. I mean, we’re going off the history he’s had in the league and also what we’ve seen. The downside is we haven’t seen him in a game. ...
“It’s going to take a little while, but we can figure out exactly where Taco fits in. But I love his strength, love a lot of things he does. He’s been working really closely with (defensive line coach) Brendan Daly, and Brendan does a great job with those guys, so hopefully we can get him to a point where he helps us on all downs.”
That’s part of the reason Charlton landed in Kansas City — it’s a defensive scheme that’s “letting me attack, letting me be free,” he said.
Charlton wasn’t able to learn the details of that scheme through on-field work at organized team activities — all such offseason work was shelved this year because of the pandemic. He acknowledged he’s been playing a bit of catch-up this summer at training camp, but he credited Clark with providing some assistance.
A couple of preseason games might have provided some additional benefit. Instead, his first snap in a Chiefs uniform will be one that counts.
“It took me a little bit to adjust because I had to learn a whole new defense with no real offseason. So it took a little bit of an adjustment,” he said. “But I feel like after that, I picked everything up.
“You know, I’ll be able to show a lot more in games what I’m capable of — more so than practice. I try to run to the ball, working hard, everything I’m doing, making plays. I try to show it in practice, but I feel like in a game you can really see the true nature of how well somebody can do. I’m excited to get into action and really show what I’m capable of (doing) in game action.”