Dallas Cowboys: Tyrone Crawford’s injury opens door for Taco Charlton

The Dallas Cowboys suffered their first major camp injury on Tuesday, with Tyrone Crawford leaving early. Taco Charlton should be given a new opportunity.

The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to preseason injuries and having to deal with them. Just one year ago, their starting quarterback went down with a nasty back injury as Tony Romo took an odd hit in a preseason game. That paved the way for then-rookie Dak Prescott to take over, which we all know how that went. On Tuesday, Tyrone Crawford went down as the first major injury of the 2017 preseason. And once again, opportunity is knocking for a rookie: Taco Charlton.

In no way do we want to minimize the seriousness of Crawford’s injury. His presence will certainly be missed. That being said, the opening at left defensive end should provide an opportunity for the Cowboys first-round pick.

Though the injury looked worse, as did him being carted off, the prognosis isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. NFL.com is reporting that it is a lateral ankle sprain for Crawford. There is a good chance that he could be back for Week 1, but he will almost surely miss the rest of the preseason.

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Crawford figured to be the Week 1 starter, which means there will be a hole in the preseason and, with no certainty, maybe against the Giants in the season-opener. With just over a month to fill the void, Charlton should fit nicely.

During the Hall of Fame Game, Charlton was given several snaps on the left side of the line. Coming out of college, I thought Charlton was better suited for left defensive end to begin with. So, it seems as though Charlton may be in line for some extra reps at left end. The other likely scenario is that DeMarcus Lawrence is moved back to left end, where he amassed 8.0 sacks during his sophomore season.

Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Preseason Week 1

Charlton will likely receive the first opportunity, however, with Benson Mayowa also getting the chance to split time. Every Cowboys fan will be rooting for Charlton to prove himself and win the starting job, and with Rod Marinelli’s coaching, he just might.