NEW ORLEANS – The NFC divisional-round game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 19 – the snowy affair that ended with a 28-22 Eagles victory – nearly resulted in an Eagles’ collapse. How Eagles second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter prevented that by sacking Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had an open receiver in the end zone, has been well-documented.
Eagles senior defensive assistant and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt likes to talk about a different Carter moment from this postseason run, however, one that demonstrates Carter’s football intelligence but isn’t a highlight or warranted “First Take” discussion.
It came a week earlier against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. In the first quarter, Carter alerted teammate Nolan Smith that Green Bay had called a pass play based on how right tackle Zach Tom positioned his right foot. He was right, and Smith sacked Packers quarterback Jordan Love for a loss of 14 yards on second down.
“His intelligence level … people don’t understand how sharp this guy is. Really, really sharp,” Hurtt said Wednesday before the Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. “And not just book smart. But on the field, the ability to juggle and adjust within the game. But even just common-sense stuff.
“He’s a pleasure to coach from that aspect of it.”
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Carter battled an illness the week of the Super Bowl but practiced in full Thursday, according to the participation report. By providing interior pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes come Sunday, he could be one of the biggest difference-makers in the Super Bowl.
His journey to football’s grandest stage was anything but smooth.
From uncertain NFL start to potential stardom
On March 1, 2023, the same day he was supposed to address reporters at the 2023 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Carter instead turned himself in to Athens (Georgia) police after authorities charged him for his role in a crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staffer, who was driving with more than twice the legal blood-alcohol content. Carter pleaded no contest to two reckless driving charges – the crash followed driving patterns consistent with racing, per authorities – and avoided jail time, although he served 12 months probation, paid a $1,000 fine and performed 80 hours of community service.
Suddenly, Carter went from potential top pick to massive question mark. His motivation and commitment to conditioning came up as question marks during the lead-up to the draft.
Franchises with locker rooms that had veteran leadership became viewed as a necessity regarding Carter’s landing spot.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman knew he had that, along with a top-10 pick and an unquenchable thirst for talent (and Georgia Bulldogs, apparently, as six Eagles on the 2024 team played collegiately there).
“That’s the beauty of the Eagles,” Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat told USA TODAY Sports. “You’re always an addition. It’s good when you were good before, but when you can add to it and actually make us better, that’s the thing about the Eagles, man. They only select you when they think you can help.
“We know how much he loves football. We can tell how passionate he is when he’s playing and stuff.”
Philadelphia traded up from No. 10 overall to ninth with the Chicago Bears and turned in the draft card with Carter’s name on it.
Even though he wasn’t yet coaching with the Eagles, Hurtt actually spent plenty of time with Carter during the pre-draft process. As the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator, he had a good idea the team would be going defense at the fifth overall pick, ultimately taking cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Hurtt observed a reserved prospect, and that’s the type of person Carter is in his position coach’s eye.
“You get to realize, OK, he’s actually a really quiet and shy kid,” Hurtt said. “He’s not this outbursty (sic) kind of flamboyant personality. That’s not who Jalen is. He’s very quiet, very shy, kind of (keeps) to himself. But a great kid.”
Despite playing 50.6% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps his rookie season, Carter still finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting (the Houston Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. won the award).
A 6-foot-3, 315-pound behemoth from Apopka, Florida, Carter played much more in 2024 and earned second-team All-Pro honors with 16 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss.
The strides this year were more noticeable “just taking it to the next level in everything he’s been doing,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. That includes working out and embracing that he’ll be on the field for the overwhelming majority of snaps, and that he has the potential to dominate with each play.
“I think as he’s been making plays, that’s been making him grow every week, because now he sees that he can be a terror in this league,” Graham said. “But it’s going to come at a price. Because now you got a target (on your back). So you got to keep your body right, keep eating right, keep being a good dude. He’s checking all of those boxes, and I’m proud of him on that.”
After the divisional-round win, Sirianni said Carter has done the right things to be a successful pro “ in and out of the building from his conditioning to his weight to his style of play.”
“Jalen Carter,” Sirianni said, “he’s special.
“I can’t say enough good things about his development as a player. That just doesn’t happen because of talent. He’s talented as – you guys see it. He’s so talented. But, in this league there are a lot of guys that are talented. It takes more than talent to reach your potential, and he’s continuing to rise. That speaks a lot to Jalen Carter.”
NFL’s next elite defensive player?
Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo, part of the Bulldog-Eagle contingent at the Super Bowl, doesn’t remember when this particular practice at Georgia occurred or much of the details. But the memory is a perfect encapsulation of how Carter plays.
“One time, he just got off the ball and he just literally grabbed the dude’s shoulder pad and just threw him with one arm, and the dude went flying,” Ringo told USA TODAY Sports.
That sounds a lot like Carter’s “club move,” a move that functions as a haymaker to interior offensive linemen and immediately puts him in the quarterback’s lap.
“He just keeps linemen off guard,” defensive lineman Milton Williams told USA TODAY Sports. “They don’t know what he’s going to do.
“I’ve seen him club a couple dudes and just get clean to the quarterback. … Once he first got here, it was like, ‘He’s gonna be a special player.’”
In his second season, Carter has been exposed to more blocking schemes and has a better understanding of how teams will try to neutralize it.
But good luck trying. Going forward, Hurtt expects Carter to insert himself into Defensive Player of the Year conversations.
“I don’t like to put timetables on that stuff,” said Hurtt, who did so anyway. “I’d be disappointed if it didn’t happen starting next year. He has all the ability. He’s shown to put in the work.”
And all of the natural ability in the world.
“I tell people all the time: I feel like he was born to play football. He was born to play football,” Williams said. “I don’t know if I was born to play football. I just worked my butt off to be able to do that. I feel like he can wake up and just put a helmet on, he’s ready to go.”