While the start of the 2025 season has been disappointing for multiple players on the Philadelphia Eagles, the most glaring one has been defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Going into the 2025 season, many were wondering what kind of record-breaking money the Eagles would have to give Carter after having a Pro Bowl season. He was ranked in the top three among defensive tackles in the NFL with New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence and Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones.
Carter’s year got off to a horrible start with an ejection for spitting on Dak Prescott after the opening kickoff in Week 1, resulting in a hefty over $75,000 fine. Then he had been dealing with a shoulder injury that caused him to leave games early. It was topped by his heel injury right before the Eagles’ Week 6 battle with the Giants that he ended up missing.
It’s clear that he’s gotten off to a bad start, and everyone has noticed. Now the conversation is whether he is even worth re-signing onto the team, and what the problem is with him.
Philadelphia sports radio going into it with an NFL analyst not holding back
SportsRadio 94 WIP had this kind of discussion with NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, who was asked about Carter’s 2025 season. Baldy was not about to have radio host and former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese let Carter off the hook.
“Don’t sugarcoat it. He’s been awful. He hasn’t made one play. He hasn’t shown any violence out there. He doesn’t look like he’s in great shape… he was an ascending player, we thought he’d be a dominant player but he doesn’t look anything like that right now. I don’t know what’s going on there but he has not been the same player.”
In four games this season, Carter has racked up 10 tackles and six quarterback hits, ranking fourth among defensive tackles. He’s also added 14 quarterback pressures on the year.
The good part is that he has at least been able to pressure the quarterback. He might not have been able to do it at the same level as the last two years with no sacks, but he’s creating pressure.
The inconsistency is definitely there with him. Jordan Davis has by far outplayed Carter this year and is more worthy of a new contract.
One other aspect is the maturity in the field with Carter. He’s racked up personal foul calls in the Cowboys and Buccaneers games that could have hurt the Eagles’ chances of winning.
Carter seems refocused after telling the media that he’s going to play in Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings. If he wants to get back in everyone’s good graces, he better play his best game of the season.
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