The Philadelphia Eagles defense was dealt a crushing blow before their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Third-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter made a poor choice to provoke Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the game.
The Eagles and Cowboys have a heated rivalry, but Philadelphia has gotten the better of Dallas in recent history, sweeping their NFC East rival en route to a win in February’s Super Bowl. Instead of taking the high road, Carter didn’t make it through one defensive snap after he was ejected from the game for spitting on Prescott.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their key DT on Thursday night
Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted a slow-motion video of the incident.
“Jalen Carter was ejected from the Eagles’ season opener after spitting at Dak Prescott,” Schefter posted on Instagram.
The 24-year-old defensive tackle is talented, making the Pro Bowl and earning All-Pro honors in 2024 when he recorded 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. However, Carter has a history of making poor decisions, which led to his fall to the Eagles at the No. 9 spot in the 2023 draft.
Jalen Carter needs to learn how to handle his emotions
Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) and defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) celebrate a fumble recover against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) and defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) celebrate a fumble recover against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Per an ESPN article by Tim McManus in 2023, Carter had notable skirmishes with other teams, but not enough to make Philadelphia queasy about the defensive tackle:
“There have been a couple of tense moments, such as when Carter jumped into the fray of a sideline dustup during joint sessions with the Browns and got physical with a Cleveland player, and was again in the mix when things got testy between the Eagles and Indianapolis Colts before a large brawl broke out. But to this point, a team source said, no issues have been raised during the Eagles’ weekly organizational meetings about Carter’s behavior.”
The best defensive tackles play with attitude. Former Eagles defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had his fair share of controversy during his career.
Carter still needs to bring his attitude, but spitting on Prescott was unnecessary. And it cost the Eagles one of its best players on Thursday night.
Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) reacts after the game against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) reacts after the game against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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