Bear Necessities: Taco Charlton ready to make plays, help Chicago win

New Bears DE Taco Charlton arrives in Chicago ready to help this defense make plays and get back on the winning track.

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The Bears added a veteran defensive end in Taco Charlton this week, who will look to provide a spark to what’s been a stagnant pass rush.

Chicago signed Charlton off the Saints practice squad on Wednesday, and he’s someone who’s familiar with Bears coach Matt Eberflus. Charlton started his career in Dallas when Eberflus was the defensive coordinator.

Charlton is ready to join this Chicago defense where he feels he can make plays to get this team back on the winning track.

“I’m very happy to be back in that defense where I just get off the ball and just go,” Charlton said, via NBC Sports Chicago.

“I’m trying to make some plays, help this defense, help win some games. That’s really what I’m trying to do. Not really personal stuff, but really just help this team win, try to make some key plays to help this defense make some big turnovers and get us some Ws.”

Charlton, a former first-round pick by Dallas in the 2017 NFL draft, has had five stops in his six-year career. He played two years with the Cowboys from 2017-18 before spending time with the Dolphins (2019), Chiefs (2020) and Steelers (2021).

In that time, Charlton 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 22 QB hits, three pass breakups, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The Bears have struggled to get after the quarterback all season. Through 10 games, they have just 15 sacks, which is tied for the fifth-worst in the league. The hope is Charlton can spark some life into this pass rush.

“Wherever you put me at I’ll be good to go, especially on passing downs,” Charlton said. “On passing downs I can rush anywhere. I can rush inside, outside, I can rush. I feel like that’s one thing they brought me here for is to get to the quarterback and I feel like I can do that at a high level.”

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