Eagles Jalen Carter Lighter, Stronger, Making No Excuses For Last Year's Fade

The second-year defensive tackle will try to live up to the bar set by four others drafted by the Eagles in the top 10 since 2000.

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Carter was just the fifth player the Eagles drafted inside the top 10 since 2000, joining Corey Simon (6th, 2000), Lane Johnson (4th, 2013), Carson Wentz (2nd, 2016), and DeVonta Smith (10th, 2021).

All four were pivotal in helping the Eagles make a Super Bowl. Can Carter live up to that expectation?

We’re about to find out as his second year begins on Friday in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers. The defensive tackle from the University of Georgia via Apopka, Fla., is off to a good start after finishing second in the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting last year.

Carter was taken ninth overall in 2023.

“Going number 9, I know people look at that like, ‘Oh he’s supposed to be the best in the world at the position,’ but at the end of the day it’s a team sport,” he said. “Just like, I play and need them, they play and need me. That goes the same at every position.”

Last year was a double-edge season for Carter. He got off to a great start, but faded as the season went on, ending the year with six sacks, but only two over the final eight games, nine QB hits, two forced fumbles, and a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 10.

“I don’t feel like I hit a wall,” he said in the locker room on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the Eagles boarded their flight to South America. “There’s a lot of excuses people say about what happened last year, but I don’t have any excuses. What happened, happened.”

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said conditioning would be an important ingredient to allow Carter and fellow DT Jordan Davis to take the next step in their game.

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Asked how he views the tandem’s conditioning after a summer spent talking about it, Fangio said: “We'll see. They haven't been pushed like they potentially can be pushed in this game as far as the amount of plays they may have to play. So that's TBD.”

Carter admitted to being lighter and stronger, but declined to say his weight.

“My goal has changed with what they want me,” he said. “It's like 10 pounds worth. I don't want to say my weight on camera, but, you know, it's a little different. It's going down. I feel like I'm slimming down.

“Other teams have real big O-lines, 350, 360, so I feel the weight helps a little bit with my strength, but me slimming down helps me move faster. We have a good lifting program, so I feel I’m getting stronger.”

Carter is listed in the team’s media guide as 6-3, 314 pounds. Whatever his weight, he is clearly the lynchpin of a young defensive tackle room, which enters the season as the third-youngest such group.

“It's my first time playing with a young group like this,” he said. “You know, it's my second season but I don't know. We just got to see. I feel like it's good. I feel like we got a good connection in there. I feel like we're going to go out there and play as a unit, do our job.”

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