Per a report from Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan and 247Sports.com, it seems that the Dallas Cowboys are fielding calls from teams inquiring about Defensive End Taco Charlton. Sources state that teams will be calling the Cowboys during the 2019 NFL Draft about the Cowboys former first round pick.
It’s an interesting turn of events for the former first round pick. Charlton, taken with the Cowboys first pick at the end of the first round hasn’t really lived up to first round billing. For a variety of reasons, he hasn’t been able to find a consistent role on the field.
With Randy Gregory being suspended indefinitely, there was some thought that Taco would get a chance to earn a role with the starting defensive line, but after the Cowboys traded for former All-Pro Robert Quinn, his path to playing time looks narrow.
With the NFL Draft starting tonight, rumors are swirling on all sorts of players, but it’s hard to know which ones are accurate as teams will put out misinformation all over the place. But there’s no reason to believe that the Cowboys aren’t shopping Taco Charlton.
The question is, what could the Cowboys get in return for Taco Charlton?
Trading Taco Charlton at this point in his Cowboys career would be admitting they made a mistake selecting him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That doesn’t even begin to touch on the discussion of whether they should have taken Pittsburgh Steelers Outside Linebacker T.J. Watt over Charlton to begin with.
The Watt vs Charlton debate doesn’t even matter at that point. If you’re trading your former first round draft pick, you’re telling the world, and your fans that you made a mistake. That being said, once you are willing to admit your mistake, it’s best to move on.
In looking at potential compensation for Taco Charlton, it’s important to look back and find players with similar careers who were traded. Thanks to Pro Football Reference, I went all the way back to 2010 to look at every defensive end traded and attempted to find players who have had similar production to Taco through his first two seasons.
In Taco Charlton’s first two year’s he’s registered four sacks and 46 total tackles. He’s played in 27 games for the Dallas Cowboys. The following players were traded in the middle of their rookie contracts, and to that point had similar career production to Taco Charlton. They varied in their original draft position. Henry Anderson was a former third round pick of the Indianapolis Colts. Kamalei Correa was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round. Jihad Ward was also drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Lawrence Jackson was a first round draft pick back in 2008 by the Seattle Seahawks and was traded before the 2010 season. Cassius Marsh was traded by the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2017 season to the New England Patriots after originally being selected in the fourth round.
| Date | From | Traded | AV | To | Received | AV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2018 | Baltimore Ravens | Kamalei Correa | 3 | Tennessee Titans | 2019 6th round pick (191st overall) | |
| Apr 28, 2018 | Indianapolis Colts | Henry Anderson | 4 | New York Jets | 2018 7th round pick (235th overall, Zaire Franklin) | 2 |
| Apr 28, 2018 | Oakland Raiders | Jihad Ward | 1 | Dallas Cowboys | Ryan Switzer | 2 |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Seattle Seahawks | Cassius Marsh | 6 | New England Patriots | 2018 5th round pick (168th overall, Jamarco Jones) | |
| Aug 18, 2010 | Seattle Seahawks | Lawrence Jackson | 5 | Detroit Lions | 2011 6th round pick (173rd overall, Byron Maxwell) | 24 |
Four of the five trades of players with similar careers to Taco Charlton included draft compensation. Three of the five trades made were for future draft picks. The trades for Correa, Marsh, and Jackson look to be moves by the original team attempting to get something for a player that they planned on cutting after training camp. Henry Anderson and Jihad Ward were traded for during the NFL Draft.
This gives us a range of pick compensation for Taco Charlton anywhere from the 168th overall pick to the 235th pick in the seventh round. That’s a big disparity in value. According to the Trade Value Chart, that’s anywhere from 23.8 points to one point in value for Taco. Based on previous trades of similar players, it’s possible that the best they could get for their defensive end is a pick at the end of the fifth round.
Trading Taco Charlton isn’t as simple as just trading for him. The Cowboys would have to get offers for the player that would make more sense than having the player. If they are able to get someone to give them a fifth round choice or if they’re able to use Taco with one of their own draft picks to move up in the draft to get a player they covet, it makes sense to pull the trigger.
If the Cowboys could get an extra fifth, they could use it on a player like Rodney Anderson out of Oklahoma, Kingsley Keke from Texas A&M, or Jalen Hurd from Baylor and have a fresh start with a new player on a rookie contract.
In any trade rumor, it takes two teams to make a deal and if Mike Fisher’s source is accurate, then the Cowboys may have several dance partners this weekend.
To me it doesn’t make sense to trade him for anything less than a fifth round draft choice. Sure, he hasn’t been what the Dallas Cowboys had hoped for when they took him at the end of the first round, but he’s still a player that looked to be trending up at the end of his rookie season. In the NFL where rosters turn over quickly, it’s best to get something for a player who hasn’t lived up to expectations and not ride it out in hopes that they turn it around.
As they say, “hope is not a strategy.”
