"Trash" -- Jalen Carter Is An Elite Analyst Of Football, Perfectly Sums Up How He's Been Playing This Year
There were concerns about Jalen Carter when he was drafted. Concerns about his attitude, concerns about his work ethic, concerns about whether or not Jalen Carter truly wants to be great.
When he first came to the Eagles, this was a locker room that could guide him. He had veteran leaders like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham in the building to show him the way. If there was any group of guys who could get the most out of Jalen Carter, it was that group. And they did exactly that.
Jalen Carter was in the league for 3 years, was a 2x Pro Bowl selection, a Second-Team All-Pro, and a Super Bowl Champion. And because of that, the Eagles signed him to a 4-year $152 million contract extension with an extra $8 million of incentives. He's the highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
And at best, he has been absolutely irrelevant this season. He had a big game in London against the Jags, but that's it. And this is his answer? He's going to get all salty and moody with the media, say "it doesn't really matter what the fans think", and then proceed to deflect blame by saying football is about all 11 guys out on the field at the same time? There's no Fletcher Cox or Brandon Graham around the building to be the leaders on defense anymore, so now it's up to guys like Jalen Carter to carry the torch. And Jalen Carter is skipping out of the media after the defense pissed all down their legs against the Cowboys on Monday night.
I guess the concerns were right.
But credit where credit is due, Jalen Carter nailed this take. Just some flawless analysis of the game. He and the entire defense have been trash this year. Cooper DeJean looks lost, the defensive line can't get to the quarterback, they can't stop the run, they can't get off the field, it's just a total mess. The offense is obviously a disaster as well, but at least there are a million injuries to blame that on. The defense has just been trash.