Jalen Carter Returns to Practice, Eyes Bills Matchup After Shoulder Procedure
After a frustrating stretch on the sideline, Jalen Carter is back - and just in time for a heavyweight showdown against Josh Allen and the Bills.
The Eagles’ Pro Bowl defensive tackle was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since undergoing a procedure on both shoulders about a month ago. And while he’s not claiming to be 100%, Carter is trending in the right direction - and more importantly, he’s planning to suit up on Sunday in Buffalo.
“It feels better,” Carter said after Wednesday’s practice. “I can’t get too excited because I’m still working on it every day… but I had a couple times where I struck the O-lineman and got some good knock-back, so I could really test out the shoulders - and they felt pretty good.”
That’s a welcome sign for an Eagles defense that’s been holding its own but could use a spark heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Carter, 24, has been battling through shoulder issues all year, and it’s been clear he wasn’t playing at full strength.
The decision to get the procedure done - which involved multiple shots in both shoulders - came after a particularly rough outing in the Eagles’ 24-15 loss to the Bears on Nov. 28.
“You could just see it on my film,” Carter said. “We talked about it… what the shot did to help certain people on the team. I just feel like it was the right decision.”
The Eagles agreed. Rather than continue to push through pain and limited mobility, the team opted for a midseason reset, hoping to get Carter back to something closer to his dominant self for the playoff push. And while he’s not expecting to be fully healed until the offseason, he’s confident he can still make a serious impact.
“But I’m always going to play 110 percent,” Carter said. “Try to give it my all out there.”
That mindset is part of what’s made Carter one of the most disruptive young defensive linemen in the league. The 2023 first-round pick burst onto the scene with back-to-back strong seasons and earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod this week - despite missing time and playing through injury for most of the year.
But this season has been anything but smooth. Carter missed the opener after being ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.
He sat out the first Giants game with a heel injury. And then came the shoulder issues, which sidelined him for the past three games and limited him well before that.
“It’s different,” Carter said of dealing with injuries in the NFL. “It’s my second time ever getting hurt during the season. I had one in college, a little MCL… but it’s different, especially being in the league.
“In college, it was cool or whatever. But in the league, it’s different.
You want to get out there for your family, your team, the organization, the fans… but you can’t rush the process. You don’t want to rush it and hurt it even more.”
In Carter’s absence, the Eagles’ defensive front has held up well. Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Byron Young have stepped up in the middle, with veteran Brandon Graham even sliding inside to notch three sacks. It’s been a group effort - and Carter’s been watching closely.
“They’ve been balling,” Carter said. “I’m just trying to come back and add to that.”
That addition couldn’t come at a better time. The Eagles are gearing up to face Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP and one of the toughest quarterbacks to bring down in the league. Carter knows that firsthand - and he hasn’t forgotten their last meeting.
“[Allen] a dawg, man,” Carter said. “I remember we played him two years ago and I missed a sack on him.
So I gotta get that back. He’s tough, hard to bring down.
Tall as heck, he can move. He’s just a dawg, man.
We just have to go out there and play with our energy and play together.”
Carter may not be at full strength, but even a 90% version of him is enough to tilt the line of scrimmage. If the Eagles are going to make a deep playoff run, they’ll need their defensive centerpiece back in the mix - and it looks like that moment has arrived.