NFL CAREER – Taco Charlton signed with New Orleans in the offseason, as he seeks to bring a veteran presence and pass rush ability to the Saints front four. A first round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, out of Michigan, Charlton played in 11 games with one start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and finished the season with 18 tackles (seven solo), a split sack and a pass defensed. The Pickerington, Ohio native has played in 55 career games for Dallas (2017-18), Miami (2019), Kansas City (2020) and Pittsburgh (2021), posting career totals of 92 tackles (53 solo), 12 stops for loss, 11.5 sacks for a loss of 69 yards, three passes defensed, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
CAREER TRANSACTIONS – Agreed to terms with New Orleans Saints on a one-year contract (UFA-Pit.), 4/4/22; Signed to Pittsburgh active roster, 11/2/21; Activated by Pittsburgh (standard), 10/30/21; Signed to Pittsburgh practice squad, 9/21/21; Released by Kansas City, 8/23/21; Re-signed by Kansas City to a one-year contract, 3/22/21; Placed by Kansas City on Injured Reserve (ankle), 11/21/20; Signed by Kansas City to a one-year contract, 5/2/20; Waived by Miami, 4/30/20; Awarded off waivers to Miami, 9/19/19; Waived by Dallas, 9/18/19; Signed by Dallas to a four-year contract, 5/12/17; Selected by Dallas Cowboys in the first round (28th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
2021- Appeared in 11 games with one start for the Pittsburgh Steelers and finished the season with 18 tackles (seven solo), a split sack and a pass defense. 2020- Played in seven games for Chiefs before being placed on Injured Reserve and posted seven tackles (four solo), two sacks and one forced fumble. 2019- Played in ten games with five starts for Miami and had 21 tackles (14 solo), a team-high five sacks and two forced fumbles, as he became the first Dolphin since 2008 to record a full takedown in each of his first two games with the team…Vs. L.A. Chargers, Sept. 29, recorded six tackles (four solo) and sacked QB Philip Rivers for a loss of six yards in the third quarter…Recorded four tackles (three solo) and sacked QB Josh Allen for a loss of four yards in the second quarter at Buffalo, Oct. 20…Recorded two solo tackles and strip-sacked QB Carson Wentz in fourth quarter vs. Philadelphia, Dec. 1. 2018- Played in 11 games with seven starts for Dallas, and recorded 27 tackles (13 solo), one sack, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery…Made first NFL start at Carolina, Sept. 9 and posted three tackles (one solo) and one pass defensed…Vs. N.Y. Giants, Sept. 16, had three solo tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Recovered a fumble by QB Eli Manning on the first possession of the third quarter…Finished with six tackles (two solo) at N.Y. Giants, Dec. 30. Played in both playoff games but recorded no statistics. 2017- Played in 16 games in first season in Dallas…Recorded 19 tackles (15 solo), three sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble…Made Cowboys debut vs. N.Y. Giants, Sept. 10…Recorded one solo tackles and one sack when he brought down QB Alex Smith on a 3rd-down play in the fourth quarter for his first career takedown vs. Kansas City, Nov. 5…Recorded two solo tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, as he strip-sacked QB Kirk Cousins in the 2nd quarter vs. Washington, Nov. 30.
COLLEGE- Four-year letterman (2013-16) and one-year starter at Michigan, where he played in 46 games with 15 starts and posted career totals of 93 tackles (55 solo), 19 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble…As a senior in 2016, started 11 games and posted 42 tackles (19 solo), 10 sacks and two passes defensed to earn first-team All-Big Ten…As a junior, played in all 13 games with three starts and finished with 30 tackles (21 solo), 5.5 sacks and one forced fumble…As a sophomore, played in 12 games with one starts and posted 19 tackles (14 solo) and 3.5 sacks…Graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management
PERSONAL- Prepped at Pickerington (Ohio) HS…Four-year letterman in football and also lettered in basketball…As a senior in 2012, posted 116 tackles and 19 sacks to earn 1st-team All-Ohio honors…Birth name is Vidauntae Charlton…Born on November 7, 1994 in Columbus, Ohio.
