When the Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they got a dominant force. He’s already one the best defensive tackles in the league.
Last night in the Eagles 25-11 destruction of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carter made a play that changed the game. He tracked down Buccaneers ball carrier Rachaad White and punched the ball out of his arms.
The forced fumble came on the second play after a Jalen Hurts interception, and it gave the Eagles the ball back with 24 seconds to play in the first half after James Bradberry recovered it.
“That thing was niiice!” exclaimed Brandon Graham in the aftermath of the Eagles’ 25-11 win over Tampa. “It was a hammerhead, aint’ it? That boy came from out of nowhere I would’ve dropped that thing, too. Boom! Oh, oh! (laughs). It was good to see.”
Carter is a beast in the middle of the Eagles defensive line. His dominating play was on full display again last night. He finished the night with two forced fumbles, a half-sack, a quarterback hit, two tackles, and several QB pressures.
“This defense is awesome,” said Carter. “I love this defense. Everybody trusts one another, plays their roles, and does what they have to do. When one goes down it’s the next man up and we don’t worry about who it is, we trust him as much as the guy who started the game. I love this defense.”
In the first three games of his career, Jalen Carter already has 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, two additional quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. He is tied for seventh in the NFL with 15 quarterback pressures, behind only T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and George Karlaftis.
Eagles rookie DT Jalen Carter. Photo courtesy of Eagles Nation – Twitter/X
