As people started re-watching the film from Monday night, one thing stood out: Eagles second-year DT Jalen Carter was not on the field with the defense for the Falcons’ first drive. He was on the sideline for the first 10 snaps of the game, but then returned for the rest of the Monday night matchup.
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Jeff McLane of the Inquirer reported shortly afterward that Carter was actually benched due to a team infraction, which involved being late to a team event earlier in the week.
The whole reason the Eagles were able to draft Carter at No. 9 overall last year was due to some off-field concerns. At the time, Howie Roseman explained that they had a good system and culture in place to help the DT make good decisions and develop into a pro.
He went on to have an impressive rookie season that was void of many, if any, off-field issues, but it looks like heading into his second year, that structure around him needs to be reinforced. Yes, Carter is a grown man who doesn’t need babysitting, but if he wants to play, he’ll need to make better decisions — and being reminded of that isn’t a bad thing.
Carter finished Monday night’s game with just one tackle — totaling four through two games — but was often double-teamed, and was really just one of many problems for a defensive front that was getting absolutely no pressure on the QB.
