The 'scary' way Jalen Carter is dominating Eagles' training camp

PHILADELPHIA − Jalen Carter might be flush with a new contract that so far is the biggest for a defensive tackle in NFL history when he signed his four-year extension worth as much as $152 million on July 29.

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It hasn't taken long for Carter to show why the Eagles are shelling out all of that money in a contract that keeps Carter signed through the 2031 season, when he will be 30 years old.

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That's because no player on defense has been as dominant through the first week-plus of Eagles training camp than Carter.

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"You guys don't understand how scary he can be," running back Saquon Barkley said on July 29.

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We're starting to get an idea in this training camp.

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It's not as much the "sacks," of which there have been a few, as much as the passes that Carter has batted down at the line of scrimmage. He did it on Aug. 7 during a red-zone drill, when he knocked down Jalen Hurts' pass as Hurts looked over the middle into the end zone.

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The deflection was at least the fourth by Carter through seven training camp practices.

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Why is that significant? Well, it shows that Carter's shoulders have healed from last season, when, at times, he couldn't lift his arms above his head.

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"[Carter] has been knocking them, swatting them," fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis said. "JC is being JC. That’s the dude we all know, and he’s going out there, he’s healthy and he’s feeling good. You can just see it. He feels better. Just seeing him move around and being as mobile as he is, taking care of his body. It’s important."

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We didn't see that "JC" very often last season.

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Carter's shoulders were an issue in the spring of 2025, following the Eagles' Super Bowl season, when Carter was an All-Pro. Consequently, Carter missed the first few practices of camp because of his shoulders. He wasn't in top shape when he was able to return for team drills.

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And the shoulders continued to plague him into last season. Carter didn't help himself by getting ejected from the season opener against the Cowboys when he spit on quarterback Dak Prescott just before the Cowboys' first play of the game.

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Carter then missed four of the last five regular-season games to get a procedure done on both shoulders (the Eagles didn't call it surgery).

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After last season ended, it was easy to surmise that the Eagles wanted to see that Carter's shoulder had healed, as well as his − at times − lack of discretion, before investing all of that money in a second contract.

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The results have been evident.

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"He's had a good camp up to this point," Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "He's doing the little things better. When you're in good shape, the little things are done better. When you're not in good shape and you're just kind of getting through practice, the little things suffer.

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"I think he's doing a much, much better job and really excited for what the possibilities are with him."

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We have already seen Carter manhandle the offensive linemen across from him in camp. Backup center Jake Majors certainly got a taste of that when he filled in for Cam Jurgens towards the end of the Aug. 7 practice. Jurgens left practice for an undisclosed reason, going into the medical tent with a trainer.

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Then he went into the facilit for the rest of practice, even though he wasn't limping. It very could have been heat related.

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Either way, Carter has been a force this summer, and he said the new contract hasn't changed anything about how he approaches his job.

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"Every day, I’m going step by step and I’m humble and take it day by day," Carter said on July 29. "I’m working every day to make myself better. Either way, technique or team chemistry. Pretty much everything."

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And Carter in top shape, at top effectiveness, has a chain reaction throughout the Eagles' defense, as linebacker Zack Baun explained.

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"The attention he draws (from opponents) is incredible," Baun said. "You gotta have four hands (i.e., two players) on him. That's good for me because it allows me to run through gaps, and play like I do, and play free, and then pass rush. 
[Double teams] have to go to him."

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That not only helps Baun and the linebackers, but the defensive backs as well. They don't have to cover as long, knowing that Carter and the defensive line are forcing the quarterback into throwing before he's ready, and before his receivers have time to get open.

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We saw that in 2024 when Carter was an All-Pro. He had 6½ sacks and was a force on the interior. Just ask Rams QB Matthew Stafford in the NFC Divisional Round game, when Carter sacked him on a critical third-down play in the final minute. Carter then forced an incomplete pass on fourth down.

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We didn't see that often enough in 2025. Carter played in only 11 games and had just three sacks. When he did play, he often wasn't 100%.

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This season, so far, is different. Carter is healthy. He's dominating offensive linemen. And most importantly, he's able to get his arms up to deflect passes.

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Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The 'scary' way Jalen Carter is dominating Eagles' training camp

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