Cowboys waive former first-round pick Taco Charlton after 2-plus years

FRISCO, Texas — The Cowboys have waived Taco Charlton, their 2017 first-round draft pick.

Wednesday's roster move comes as defensive end Robert Quinn, whom Dallas traded for in March, returns from a two-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Charlton was inactive during the team’s first two games even with Quinn suspended and multiple starting defensive linemen returning from offseason surgeries. He missed four of the last six games in 2018, in part because of ankle and shoulder injuries. Other times, Charlton has been a healthy scratch.

Charlton did not participate in the portion of Cowboys practice open to reporters Wednesday. Quinn, in his return, did.

“I can tell you right now our scouting department would give their right arm for Taco to step out here and a major light come on, which he’s capable of,” Jerry Jones told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “Scouting is rooting for him more than his family is.”

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Monday, after his second game inactive, Charlton tweeted and deleted “free me” with an eyes emoji. After the Cowboys’ 31-21 win at Washington on Sunday, Charlton tweeted “Man I can’t wait to get back out there.” He added: “Trust me the last thing I want to do is to have to go to social media to get what I want so I can play football again.”

Jones was asked about Charlton’s tweets during his show Tuesday.

“I can't tell you the teams that have said to me, 'Boy, that's the last thing I need is somebody that would put his business out there like that and talk about it in public. I don't want him either,’” Jones said. “Usually it's a rule around the NFL that if they'll act that way with the team they're with, they'll act that way with the team I've got or the one I'm managing. So, I'm talking now more personal. You need to, when you have your behavior, if in fact you're thinking you might want to move to another team, you really ought to act in a way that that other team wouldn't be leery of getting involved with you.”

The Cowboys have said Charlton could be, and has been, effective at left defensive end. But with Pro Bowl pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence starting left, coaches wanted to see more versatility from Charlton. Jones said in August that Charlton was “outstanding at pressuring the quarterback and knocking down passes" but “we just want him, and he wants, to have a bigger repertoire.”

In the offseason, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli brought Charlton in for what he called a “man talk.” He reminded Charlton what the team’s expectations were for players on and off the field, with recommendations to improve Charlton’s body language.

“That’s a big part of playing,” Marinelli explained. “What you show your opponent. Are you standing up straight, your chest? Good play, bad play doesn’t matter. Nobody sees you tired.”

Charlton compiled 46 tackles (26 solo), four sacks, eight tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits in two-plus seasons since the Cowboys drafted him out of Michigan. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in 2018.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.

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