Five of the Cowboys’ past six first-round draft picks have made the Pro Bowl. Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Leighton Vander Esch have started a combined 268 games with 13 Pro Bowls and five All-Pros among them.
Taco Charlton, the 28th overall choice in 2017, has seven starts and no postseason honors.
It’s past time for the defensive end.
“Taco obviously hasn’t made his way into the starting lineup yet,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via the Dallas Morning News. “He had a [shoulder] injury last year, which set him back. He didn’t necessarily come back as strong as he did before he got hurt. So this is a big year for Taco to step up. We certainly need him with our defensive front.”
The Cowboys traded for Robert Quinn in the offseason and hope to see the return of Randy Gregory from an indefinite suspension. They re-signed DeMarcus Lawrence to a record-breaking deal on the other side. So Charlton, who has four career sacks, will have to earn playing time.