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Jalen Carter Erases Final Concern About His Game With Career Milestone

Jalen Carter finally hit a crucial career milestone, erasing any final doubts Eagles fans may have had about his game.

By Jason Schandl

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Jalen Carter made it clear in his 2023 rookie season that he had every bit of potential needed to bloom into one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. From his very first game, there was no questioning his pass-rush skills on the interior. He still played like a rookie at times, though, and his game was far from complete. Accordingly, he only ever played more than even 60% of the Eagles' defensive snaps in four of 17 games (including playoffs) as a rookie.

There were also question marks around his stamina and ability to handle more snaps, stemming back from his time at Georgia.

There were also grumblings about him early this season. Concerns around his ability to defend the run remained, and while his snap count had increased significantly, it was back down as low as 68% in the Eagles' Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Carter erased any shred of concern that was still lingering in Thursday's win over the Washington Commanders. For the first time in his career, he was on the field for every single one of the Eagles' 66 defensive snaps.

Zack Baun may have stolen the headlines with his official breakout performance, but Carter's was no less impressive. Racking up 7 tackles as an interior defensive lineman deserves a ton of praise. And while his 1 TFL might not leap off the page, he had another tackle for no gain and an assist on a second TFL. PFF gave him the fourth-best run defense grade among all Eagles defenders for the night, and he ranks No. 3 among Eagles starters in overall defensive grade for the season.

Carter still isn't getting the recognition he deserves on the national stage, but Eagles fans know just how valuable he is already. Some lost patience with him early in the year, but that was more about being frustrated that he wasn't playing at as high a level as he's capable of. But now Carter's full potential seems to have been unlocked, and he's going to be an integral part of this young Eagles defense for years to come.

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