NEWSLETTER
When I set out on this voyage we call following the 2022 Chicago Bears, I was hoping that – at minimum – I was hoping for them to be more fun than last year’s team.
And while I didn’t mean that I wanted to have more fun writing player names, I’m not going to complain about it.
The team that brought us receivers named Pringle and Equanimeous now brings us a Taco — as in 2017 first-round NFL Draft pick Taco Charlton:
That’s right! The Bears have a dude named Taco on their team. What a moment for this franchise.
Taco Charlton (given name Vidauntae) has game experience with the Cowboys, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Saints that came before his stint with the Saints practice squad from which the Bears signed him. He’ll join a rotation of defensive linemen that hasn’t produced much in terms of a pass rush or stuffing the run game of late. Charlton’s most productive year came in 2019 when he had 5 sacks, 5 quarterback hits, and 3 tackles-for-loss in 10 games in Miami. He has just 2.5 sacks, 1 TFL, and 6 QB Hits in 18 games in the two years since, but maybe Charlton can find himself in Chicago? At this point, I’m all for throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. Keep that roster churn going!
And for what it’s worth, the Bears have had a number of eyes on him over the years long before we reached this point. For instance, Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus was a Cowboys LBs Coach in 2017 during Charlton’s rookie season. Bears GM Ryan Poles, back when he was the Chiefs’ Assistant Director of Player Personnel) had Charlton on the Chiefs for seven games in 2020. And as recently as last year, Bears Offensive Line Coach Chris Morgan saw Charlton from the other side of the field when both were with the Steelers. In other words, the Bears should be well-versed in what Charlton brings to the table.
