Dolphins claim former Cowboys first-round pick Taco Charlton three days before matchup vs. Dallas

FRISCO, Texas — Taco Charlton wasn’t at Cowboys practice on Wednesday.

The defensive end wasn’t in attendance Thursday either, after Dallas released the 2017 first-round pick to clear roster space for the return of suspended Robert Quinn.

But Charlton may now be at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on Sunday when Dallas hosts Miami.

The Dolphins claimed Charlton off waivers on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet officially announced the move.

Cowboys coaches declined Wednesday to provide specifics on the decision to release Charlton.

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“I’m not going to backtrack on the whole thing,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said after practice.

“I just wish him the best. I’m sure there will be a lot of people after him right now. I hope he gets the right team. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

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Marinelli dismissed any claim that Charlton’s personality spurred his departure.

“That’s never an issue,” he added. “Just didn’t work out.”

For an 0-2 Dolphins team that has been outscored 102-10 this year, Charlton could serve as a low-cost flier. Miami has recorded just three sacks in two games.

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.

But he was a healthy scratch in games toward the end of 2018 and in each of Dallas’ two games in 2019. Marinelli said during training camp he had a “man talk” with Charlton in the offseason to discuss his expectations for matters including effort and body language. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Charlton was effective at left defensive end and with disrupting the quarterback, but that Charlton did not show the positional flexibility the team sought in its linemen.

Charlton sent a series of tweets this week, saying that “man I can’t wait to get back out there” and noting that “the last thing I want to do is have to go to social media to get what I want to so I can play football again.” He also tweeted “free me” before deleting the message.

On Wednesday, the Cowboys did free Charlton. Since 2013, every other Cowboys first-round selection has earned at least one Pro Bowl berth.

Head coach Jason Garrett declined to give specific reasoning for the release. The decision was simply in the best interest of the team, Garrett said.

“We drafted him in the first round for a reason,” Garrett added Thursday morning. “Unfortunately it didn’t work out and we made the decision yesterday to give a new opportunity.

“And we’ll move on as a team and get focused on the Dolphins.”

Now, it turns out, so will Charlton.

Follow Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.

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