Concerning Jalen Carter Report Emerges in Aftermath of Eagles' Loss to Falcons

When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick in 2023, there were some off-the-field concerns about the Georgia star. The discipline issues and the lawsuit he was dealing with were perhaps contributing factors to why Carter fell all the way to the Eagles.

However, the young defender avoided any trouble in his rookie season. In fact, he had a solid first year in the league, finishing with six sacks and second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He earned himself a larger role this season after playing in 51% of defensive snaps last year. As a full-time starter, however, the 23-year-old is not off to the start the team had in mind.

After struggling in the first two games of the season, Carter has been receiving plenty of criticism from Eagles fans. This was later exacerbated by a report by Eagles insider Jeff McLane. He reported that Carter was benched for the start of the Falcons game due to a disciplinary issue.

Eagles Benched Jalen Carter During MNF Loss As Punishment

Carter was reportedly late to a team event last week, resulting in him getting benched for the first ten defensive snaps. He still went on to play 46 snaps for the game, close to his workload from Week 1. His performance left plenty to be desired as he finished with one tackle and a 56.7 PFF grade. The Eagles' defensive line failed to put any pressure on Kirk Cousins throughout the game, highlighted by Atlanta's game-winning drive at the end.

Let's hope that this was a minor infraction on Carter's part. Yet, it is clearly not a great sign that one of your star defenders needs to be kept a close eye on and disciplined. If Carter improves his performance going forward, this will be forgotten quickly. Otherwise, things could turn ugly in Philadelphia.

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