Houston Texans: Would Taco Charlton be a good fit for defense?

The Dallas Cowboys have released defensive end Taco Charlton. Should the Houston Texans add the former first-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft?

Here is the deal for the Houston Texans. There is a defensive end and former first-round draft pick Taco Charlton who is now a free agent after being released by the Dallas Cowboys, and the question is should the Texans be interested in signing him to a contract?

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com posted the following on Twitter when the release of Charlton became available:

Charlton hasn’t played in the first two games of the regular season, as he was made inactive by the Dallas Cowboys in games against the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. This past preseason, Charlton played well. In those preseason games, Charlton totaled three tackles, two sacks, two passes defensed and forced two fumbles.

In his two seasons on the field (2017-18), Charlton totaled 46 combined tackles, four sacks and two passes defensed in 27 regular-season games with the Cowboys.

Now, how could the Texans use a up-and-coming player like Charlton who is entering just his third season in the league? The 24-year-old defensive end has a ton of potential, and in his short career he’s shown in flashes he has the talent to play in the NFL.

The current defensive end depth chart for the Texans includes future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, plus Angelo Blackson, Carlos Watkins and rookie Charles Omenihu, so there is room on the roster if the Texans believe Charlton can help the defense.

There must be some talent and potential when it comes to Charlton, but the Cowboys must have wanted to move on from the former first-round selection. Is signing Charlton a risk? That doesn’t seem to be the issue. Rather, the Cowboys felt they didn’t need him on their roster, which is an interesting decision considering they drafted him with the 28th overall pick.

Houston could use the help on their defense, and the Texans need to add to their defensive line with the above-mentioned players. With the defensive ends of the Texans combining for just 12 tackles and one sack, maybe Charlton wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

One difference in the defense is the Cowboys played in a 4-3 formation, and the Texans are a 3-4 formation under Romeo Crennel, but that can be altered and the Texans could get him accustomed to a different defense.

Though it is most likely a long shot the Texans make a move for Charlton, it is always fun to think of the possibilities of signing a former first-round selection and to see what he could add to the defense for the remainder of this season.