Taco Charlton: I ain’t done nothing; I still have a lot to prove

[Rowdy]

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Taco Charlton is quickly running out of time to live up to the expectations the Cowboys had for him when they drafted the defensive end in the first round.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones called this a big year for Charlton. To be more specific, it was a big offseason and a bigger preseason for Charlton.

He has to make the roster first, and with the likes of DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford, Robert Quinn, Kerry Hyder, Dorance Armstrong and fifth-round choice Joe Jackson, Charlton isn’t a lock.

But Charlton is trying to give the Cowboys a reason to keep him on the 53-player roster next week.

In 19 snaps Saturday, Charlton made three tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. He was active and disruptive, which is what the Cowboys thought they were getting in 2017.

“I ain’t done [expletive],” Charlton said. “I ain’t done nothing. I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of stuff to prove. This ain’t nothing to me but lace them up. Let’s play the next game.”

Charlton, who had ankle surgery in May, tweaked his left ankle during the third preseason game. He was limping afterward.

If he’s healthy, Charlton likely plays Thursday night’s game against the Bucs.

“If I play the fourth game, then I play the fourth game,” Charlton said. “I just need to get my ankle right and play ball. I’m willing and ready to play whenever. I’m just happy to be out here with my boys and playing the game I love to play.”

Charlton started only seven of 27 games his first two seasons, making four sacks and one forced fumble.