Getty Taco Charlton
The waiting game continues for Taco Charlton.
One day after posting a cryptic tweet relating to his tenuous future with the Dallas Cowboys, the third-year defensive end is expected to travel to Washington but not play against the Redskins in Week 2, according to team insider Mike Fisher of Maven Sports.
Charlton, deactivated for last Sunday’s season-opening victory over the Giants, will be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game as trade rumors regarding the 2017 first-round draft pick intensify.
Expect him among the seven inactive players at FedEx Field.
“As we’ve written often, defensive end Taco Charlton remains on the outs (and is the subject of trade talks). An educated guess would have Taco and Trysten Hill inactive again this week, along with injured linebacker Luke Gifford, offensive linemen Adam Redmond and Brandon Knight (a sign of good health for Zack Martin), safety Donovan Wilson and Austin,” Fisher wrote Saturday morning.
That Charlton won’t suit up comes as no surprise after head coach Jason Garrett was noncommittal on his future with the organization — his short- and long-term future.
“Yea, we’ll see,” Garrett said Monday, via Blogging The Boys. “You know, it’s always a competition every week to see who’s going to be up and available for us at all positions. We have 10 guys on the active roster on the defensive line, and we dressed eight for the game. It just felt like the guys we had up there gave us the best chance.”
It’s possible the Cowboys are attempting to preserve what semblance of trade value Charlton has before they ship him out of town. A recent report claimed Dallas is involved in player-for-player trade talks with an undisclosed team involving Taco and an unnamed player.
On Friday, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones admitted he’d contacted the Miami Dolphins, presumably about defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, leading some to speculate if Charlton could be part of a potential deal.
The Cowboys will release their list of inactives 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff from FedEx Field.
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Defensive Line Depth Chart
Just as they did last week, the Cowboys will roll with Dorance Armstrong and Kerry Hyder as the direct backups to starting DEs DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford, who practiced in full Friday despite a nagging hip injury. Fisher said it’s unlikely the club activates second-round rookie defensive tackle Trysten Hill to operate behind starters Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins.
Dallas Signs WR to 53, Cuts Covington
Cowboys No. 4 wide receiver Tavon Austin was ruled out for this week’s divisional showdown due to a concussion. To provide insurance on the active roster, summer standout Cedrick Wilson was promoted from the practice squad, per Fisher.
In a corresponding roster move, the Cowboys released linebacker Chris Covington, a special teams contributor who was elevated from the taxi squad to the 53 earlier this week.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL