Cowboys Draft Pick Taco Charlton Signs With UFL

Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Taco Charlton has turned to the spring football circuit in an attempt to reclaim the narrative of his professional football career.

The Birmingham Stallions' defense is ready to ride with this former Dallas Cowboy.

Taco Charlton, the Pokes' first-round pick from 2017, has found a home in the United Football League, which announced that the Michigan alum signed with the Birmingham Stallions on Tuesday. Birmingham is the two-time defending champion of the United States Football League, which is set to embark on a new merged endeavor with the XFL, a fellow spring offering, at the end of this month. 

Moving to spring ball affords Charlton an opportunity to reclaim the narrative of his professional football career after prosperity failed to materialize in Dallas. Charlton was the 28th pick of the 2017 draft and struggled to carve a consistent role for himself on the Cowboys' front seven, especially after the breakout of DeMarcus Lawrence.

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In the midst of all that and reported clashes with the coaching staff and management (culminating in Charlton posting and deleting a post that read "Free me" on his Twitter account), Charlton was bid farewell after two-plus seasons in North Texas. Charlton's drafting has become a sore point in Dallas lore after two Pro Bowlers, tight end David Njoku and dominant pass rusher TJ Watt, were chosen with the immediate next couple of picks by Cleveland and Pittsburgh respectively.

Since his release from Dallas, Charlton has been a bit of an NFL nomad, appearing on the roster of seven different teams since 2019. His most recent regular season action came in a five-game stint with the Chicago Bears in 2022. He'll undoubtedly stand as one of the more recognizable names in the UFL, which kicks off on March 30 with a matchup between USFL champion Birmingham and the Arlington Renegades, the XFL victors.

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Birmingham, which took home both championships in the rebooted USFL prior to the merger, carries several relatively high-profile NFL Draft selections on its roster, including Matt Corral, Amari Rodgers, and Jace Sternberger. The Cowboys are well-versed in the Stallions' championship affairs, having previously lured All-Pro kicker and NFL scoring leader Brandon Aubrey to their own roster last offseason.