Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton’s trade value will never be greater

The time for the Dallas Cowboys to trade Taco Charlton has never been better, so why trade him right when things start looking up?

The Dallas Cowboys 1st round pick in 2017 has had a slow and rather tremulous start to his NFL career. Even under the most modest of expectations, Taco Charlton has undeniably fallen short. But if the preseason is any indication, things seem to be finally turning around for the man known as Taco.

Coming off his best performance to date, Taco’s value has never been better. And if the Dallas Cowboys don’t see him in their long-term plans, the time to trade him is right now.

Picked instead of fan favorite, T.J. Watt, Cowboys Nation has long held contempt for third year defensive end Taco Charlton. While Watt has gone on to early greatness, Taco has had trouble even being active on Sundays.

Things didn’t look good for the third year defensive end at the start of this summer. Entering camp, Taco looked like he could be caught on the wrong side of a positional log-jam. But as training camp and the preseason progressed, so did Taco. Now it appears Taco has a spot on the Final-53 all but assured, so why in the heck would we want to trade him?

Snaps.

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The problem is there just aren’t enough snaps to go around. And for as good as Taco’s playing, there are other ends on the depth chart playing better. Dorance Armstrong and Kerry Hyder both look to be above Charlton on the depth chart. And with DeMarcus Lawrence locked in on the left edge, and Tyrone Crawford the likely starter on the right side, Taco’s probably no better than DE5 in the talented hierarchy.

And that’s not even counting Robert Quinn and Randy Gregory (two suspended players above him on the depth chart). When they return (Quinn in week 3 and Gregory unknown), they will instantly leap-frog Taco. Next month, Taco could find himself buried so deep down the depth chart he’ll be once again be fighting just to be active on game day.

if Hyder, Crawford, and Quinn all leave in 2020 (something that I think will happen), the opportunities could be there for Taco if we want to wait until next season.

Cowboys Nation has volleyed the idea of trading Taco all offseason. But with such limited on-the-field success to sell potential suitors, the return on trade wasn’t expected to be much more than a late Day 3 draft pick.

But now that he’s showing a marked improvement in his development, he finally has value in the league. Look, Dallas isn’t going to get a Day 1 or even a Day 2 pick for their castoff, but they may be able to grab a fourth rounder and a conditional pick to play with in 2020.

Is Taco worth more than that? If his production this preseason is any indication, yes. But he’s going to be buried on the depth chart this season and with Dallas unlikely to pick up his option, he’ll be on the way out on his way out after the 2020 season. The longer Taco rots on the sideline, the less value he has around the league.

Obviously injuries could change things and if Hyder, Crawford, and Quinn all leave in 2020 (something that I think will happen), the opportunities could be there for Taco if we want to wait until next season.

There’s nothing wrong with retaining talented depth just in case, but unlike the Jourdan Lewis situation, which presents a clear path to starting, Taco’s path is covered with obstacles and detours. His value is high right now and if Dallas can find decent middle-of-the-draft compensation, they’d be wise to take it while they still can, because this season is shaping up to be a frustrating campaign for Taco. And that’s a testament to those around him.

Taco Charlton has never played better football than right now. And that’s exactly why now may be the best time to trade him.

• Published on 08/25/2019 at 12:30 PM
• Last updated at 08/25/2019 at 12:14 PM