Day 3 of Eagles training camp made one thing look very clear: the defense was getting the better of the offense, and Jalen Carter was right at the center of it.
Head coach Nick Sirianni called it a win for the defense, and that assessment fit the tone of the day. The front was getting after Jalen Hurts, the secondary was making life difficult for the receivers, and Carter was the player repeatedly tilting the field.
"Just a reminder that Jalen Carter is a monster," said.
That line matched what happened on the practice field. Carter, the highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history, blew past Tyler Steen during 11-on-11s for a sack, wrecked a screen pass to the running back and kept forcing pressure on Hurts. He also got a hand on a pass at the line of scrimmage.
That last play was another reminder of how often he’s been disrupting throws lately. Carter did not record a single batted pass as a rookie, but he has 13 over the last two seasons. Among defensive linemen, only Cameron Heyward (17), Andrew Van Ginkel (16) and Brian Burns (15) have more in that span.
The bigger picture is the contract Philadelphia handed him just before camp opened: a four-year, $152 million extension with $106 million guaranteed. The deal can reach $160 million, and the $38 million-per-year figure is the biggest ever for a defensive tackle.
It’s the kind of number that would normally bring scrutiny, especially after last season raised some questions. Carter dealt with the spitting incident in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, and heel and shoulder injuries limited him to 11 games. His production also came with a Pro Football Focus grade of 60, which ranked 58th among 134 eligible interior defensive linemen.
But when Carter was out there, the Eagles still got the force they expected. He made his second straight Pro Bowl in his first three seasons and finished with 33 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, seven pass deflections, five tackles for loss, three sacks and one block.
That’s the version Philadelphia believes in - the one that collapses pockets, snuffs out run plays and changes the shape of a practice, let alone a game. The Eagles have seen that player for a long time, which is why they were comfortable locking him up earlier in the offseason.
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Eagles Training Camp Battle Is Heating Up Behind Cooper DeJean
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Behind DeJean, the competition is already starting to sharpen in the sub packages, where Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II are vying for playing time. The Eagles have options there, but they also have decisions to make, and the way those snaps are divided could tell a lot about how the back end is going to look once the real games arrive. [Read more 🡒]