Kansas City Chiefs DE Taco Charlton has been a key defensive contributor through the first quarter of the season despite limited opportunities. In just 53 defensive snaps, Charlton has recorded eight tackles, two sacks, one hit, five hurries, three stops and a forced fumble. His stellar performance hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Yeah, Taco’s made some good plays for us, so that was one of them for sure,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said following the Week 4 win. “It’s great for his career going forward, so that’s a positive thing for him. He’s all in for right now and enjoys being here and working hard.”
When the Miami Dolphins released Charlton this offseason, the talk about him wasn’t positive. Many claimed that he was a bust, but joining the Chiefs as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season has put him on the path toward reclaiming the narrative surrounding his career. In Week 4 against the Patriots, Charlton made one of the top defensive plays of the game, notching a strip-sack on New England QB Brian Hoyer.
“I mean, that’s the good thing about having long arms, being able to reach around people,” Charlton said of the play. “As I was coming around the corner, I saw he still had the ball right in front of me, so I knew it was a perfect opportunity for me to come around with my arms and knock the ball out. I saw the ball out and I decided to pull his arms back and hopefully one of our guys would come up with it, and that’s what happened. I made a big play and we were able to score off it and capitalize.”
Part of Charlton’s decision to join the Chiefs was to be reunited with his former Michigan Wolverines teammate Frank Clark. Clark was a mentor to Charlton when he was a young player at Michigan. He was proud to see how far he’s come since then.
“Just seeing him out there making the plays that he’s making, you know it reminds me of days back when we were younger,” Clark said. “When I used to coach him up and tell him different things and we used to be in practice going back and forth. Then, just to see him 6-7 years later down the road, doing what he does, stripping the ball, making big plays to help us win — you know that’s all you want to see as an older guy in this league.”
Both Clark and Charlton notched important sacks in the Week 4 game against the Patriots. It was something they’d dreamed about back in college and talked about when Charlton first came to Kansas City. They were finally able to make it a reality on Monday.
“Man we talked about it all the time,” Clark said. “We talked about it this summer when Taco ended up getting signed by the Chiefs. That’s my dog, man. We’ve been around doing this stuff for a long time now and to finally really be out there — I didn’t really have a lot of chances to play with Taco in college because he was so much younger than me. I was the starter at my position, I believe he was like a three then. He didn’t even have it then, you know what I’m saying. Next thing I know, you fast forward and I’m in the NFL as a rookie in 2015 and this man is about to be a first-round pick.”
Now that they finally have a chance to play together, they’re both thriving in Kansas City. Clark didn’t seem too surprised to see his friend perform well in the Chiefs’ defensive system.
“I’m just happy at the progress he made up until this point and he’s still proving them wrong,” Clark said. “Everybody was looking at Taco last year and the year before that like, the man couldn’t do his job or he didn’t know how to rush the passer like he didn’t know how to play the run or whatever. And [now] you see this man making plays. Sometimes they just need a chance to do it. Sometimes it’s not them, it can be the system they’re in.”
Charlton is taking full advantage of his new opportunity and he’s enjoying himself while doing so. It’s the perfect cocktail for success in the NFL.
“Anybody, if you knew him right now, you can ask him how he’s feeling being in Kansas City,” Clark said of Charlton. “He’ll tell you that he’s having a blast.”
Not only is Charlton having a blast, but he’s completely bought into the Chiefs’ goals for the 2020 season.
“Of course the unity, the comradery, the brotherhood of the organization—not even the team, but the organization as a whole and the team,” Charlton said. “Then, like I said, I’m just here to pick up off the next guy. A lot of great ends, a lot of great rushers—when they’re out, I try to make something happen for this team and trying to help this team win games. I’m a new guy, so of course, I want to be a big part of the repeat and us running it back, so I try to get in there and make plays to help us win games.”
If Charlton continues to make plays in Kansas City, he should see a steady increase in opportunities to do so. For now, he’ll be preparing and waiting for whenever his number is called by the team.
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