Defensive Tackle · Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Carter

No. 98 · 4th season

Carter showed up to spring practice, just not all the way

There is a version of this where everything is fine. Jalen Carter is a 23-year-old defensive tackle the Philadelphia Eagles believe is one of the best young players in football. He is also, as of this spring, a player whose new contract has not arrived — and whose presence at practice has been limited enough that people started paying attention.

Carter was eligible for an extension this offseason. No deal got done. What followed was a spring where he was around but not fully around — limited participation, the kind of half-in presence that tends to mean something even when no one says it does.

The Eagles, for their part, have been clear about what they want from him: consistency in the small things. Not the spectacular plays — those come naturally enough. The details. The habits. The daily work.

That note from the team lands differently when paired with the contract picture. It is not a warning, exactly. But it is a direction.

Carter has too much ability for either side to let this drift too long. The question is whether the two things that haven't lined up yet — the deal and the buy-in — find each other before the season does.

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