“I know who everybody loves”: Eagles' Jalen Carter keeping receipts while grinding to become NFL’s top DT

The second season of Jalen Carter's career cemented his status as one of the league's best defensive tackles. The Philadelphia Eagles star made impressive plays during the entire season, especially in the playoffs, and added a Second-Team All-Pro berth to his Super Bowl ring.

But he's looking for more recognition in his third season. Carter, who became a full-time starter for Philadelphia after the retirement of Fletcher Cox, is now looking to become involved in discussions with the elite.

Speaking with reporters during the week, with the Eagles hosting a few voluntary workouts before their mandatory minicamp the next week, Carter voiced his desire to be recognized at the top. Mentioning some of the league's elite defensive tackles, he said that he'll continue to work to join them:

"I know who's good and I know who everybody loves. Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones. All of them. I see it, but at the end of the day, I'm still grinding and just doing my own thing. If my name pops up, then I guess congratulations to me. Just keep going. I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best. I'm not there yet"

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Jalen Carter's contract a bargain for the Philadelphia Eagles

The defensive tackle has already blossomed into a superstar for the Super Bowl champions. Although his sack total fell from 6.5 in 2023 to 4.0 in 2024, he became a key member of the Eagles' defense, attracting double blocks at a larger rate than in 2023.

With just two seasons in the NFL, the Eagles can't offer him a new contract until after the 2025 season. This is one of the greatest things NFL teams can have: a superstar player whose cap impact remains low due to the rookie wage scale.

Philadelphia also has other stars, such as Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who quickly became important without a big contract to their names. The team has been excellent in recent drafts.

The next step for Jalen Carter is to continue to progress as a pass rusher. The Eagles lost Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham after their Super Bowl win, so the pressure on the third-year defensive tackle will be even higher.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Philadelphia Eagles Fans! Check out the latest Eagles Schedule and dive into the Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Henrique Bulio