Taco Charlton re-signed to one-year deal with Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed unrestricted free agent defensive end Taco Charlton to a one-year contract, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Charlton, 26, joined the Chiefs in 2020 after spending two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the Miami Dolphins. The former 2017 first-round draft pick had started only 12 games in his first three seasons, collecting 67 tackles (42 solo), nine sacks, three forced fumbles and two passes defensed.

Reuniting with his former Michigan teammate Frank Clark in Kansas City, Charlton appeared as a rotational pass-rusher in seven games before fracturing his ankle against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 — an injury that required surgery to repair. He finished the season on injured reserve after collecting seven tackles (four solo), a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and four quarterback hits.

Charlton played on an NFL-minimum deal in 2020. While specifics of his contract are not known at this writing, he could easily be on a minimum-salary deal for this season, too. But now with four accrued seasons to his credit, he would also be eligible for a veteran salary benefit deal that would pay him as much as $1.1 million, but count no more than $987,500 against the salary cap.