Kansas City Chiefs make a smart low-risk bet on Taco Charlton

Taco Charlton joined the Chiefs in 2020 and is reportedly coming back to Kansas City on a one-year deal.

Taco Charlton is a former first-round pick who has so far failed to live up to the hype. But the potential must remain as the Kansas City Chiefs were the third NFL team to give him a shot in 2020.

Charlton joined the defending champions on a one-year deal and only ended up appearing in seven games. He was then placed on injured reserve in November.

The Chiefs moved some money around this offseason in order to piece together the roster puzzle. One giant move was the signing of offensive guard Joe Thuney. A smaller one was made Tuesday when it was reported that Charlton is coming back on a new one-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Kansas City Chiefs: Taco Charlton returns for 2021 season

Charlton must have shown the Chiefs something they liked considering he only had 90 defensive snaps in his limited game action. He is still only 26 years old and did have five sacks in only 10 games back in 2019 with Miami.

His current status as a fringe draft bust also means he comes at a cheaper price. His deal in 2020 was for just over $800,000.

Like all NFL teams, the Chiefs had to get creative to get under the cap this year. Signing Charlton is a nice low-cost, potentially high-reward move after he got to learn the system last season. The key now is returning to full health after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his leg late last year.