When the Miami Dolphins announced the release of 25-year-old defensive end Taco Charlton on Thursday, it instantly prompted fans and media members to speculate that the Seattle Seahawks would show interest.
After all, coach Pete Carroll loves his former first round picks, and Charlton is coming off the best season of his three-year career.
We have waived defensive end Taco Charlton.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 30, 2020
Charlton was a first round pick in 2017, going 28th overall to the Cowboys after a stellar senior season at Michigan. He ended up serving in a backup role in Dallas for his first season, and after a mediocre year in 2018 he was released early in the 2019 campaign, where he caught on with Miami.
The Dolphins managed to get Charlton straightened out somewhat, as he recorded a career-high five sacks and two forced fumbles in just 10 games played.
However, after drafting three defensive linemen in the 2020 NFL draft, Miami must have found Charlton expendable – and now he finds himself looking for his third NFL team in his first four professional seasons.
After adding two defensive ends in the draft – Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson – as well as free agents Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa, it’s fair to wonder if Seattle even has room for Charlton on the roster.
While he’s not a substitute for a Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakoue type addition, Charlton is certainly worth bringing into camp and seeing if the improvements in his numbers are worth buying into.
After all, 25 year olds coming off five sack seasons – which would have led the Seahawks last year – don’t grow on trees, and there’s plenty of room for improvement at the back of Seattle’s defensive line pecking order.
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