Eagles' Jalen Carter Reveals Plan to Join NFL's Elite
Eagles' Jalen Carter Reveals Plan to Join NFL's Elite originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
By the end of Year 2 in his NFL career, Jalen Carter had already cemented himself as the most gifted player on the league's top-ranked defense and a Super Bowl LIX champion. Now, the former Georgia standout has his sights set even higher—taking his place alongside the NFL's elite interior defensive linemen.
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"I know who's good and I know who everybody loves," Carter said this spring. "Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones. All of them. I see it."
At just 24 years old, Carter is acutely aware of the names that dominate the top of his position group. But matching or surpassing them isn't something he's outwardly chasing. Instead, Carter is revealing that he remains focused on his own journey and growth.
'At the end of the day, I'm still grinding and just doing my own thing," he added. "If my name pops up, then I guess congratulations to me. Just keep going."
Sounds like a plan,
While Carter's humility is apparent, his on-field dominance is impossible to ignore. In Vic Fangio's defense, No. 98 is already the primary name circled on opposing offensive game plans. Carter arrived in Philadelphia with sky-high expectations, and in just two years, he's not only met them—he's exceeded them. A major part of that leap came in Year 2, when his conditioning took center stage. After playing just over 600 snaps as a rookie, he logged 1,065 snaps through the Super Bowl this past season.
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The workload wasn't just volume—it was impact. Fangio pointed to Carter's performance in the divisional round win over the Rams as a defining moment. "In Jalen's case, the two plays he had at the end of the Rams game, which everybody has alluded to many times, those were his 68th and 69th snaps in that game," Fangio noted. "He's still a young pup."
That type of motor is rare. Carter's physical development, relentless pursuit, and emerging leadership qualities have already made him the anchor of the Eagles' defensive front. But Fangio believes there's still another level to reach. "The good news about Jalen is twofold. One, he played very well for us last year, and two, he can still improve a lot."
The focus now turns to consistency—specifically, matching his technique and fundamentals with the elite physical gifts that make him such a nightmare for opposing linemen. It's that next layer of refinement that separates very good players from generational ones.
Carter, to his credit, seems to understand the path. His maturity and team-first mindset are evident in the way he speaks about his role. "This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best," he said. "I'm not there yet. I still got a lot of people in front of me that's obviously been in the league a couple years, got years of experience on me. But I'm just going to keep grinding every day."
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Carter isn't trying to outshine his teammates—he's leaning on them. "Not just me by myself working on specific things to get better, just being around the team, having the guys support me also makes me also be one of the best in the league," he said.
For a player who turned in game-changing plays and carried a Super Bowl-winning defense in just his second year, the next step is clear. If Carter continues his upward trajectory, refining his technique to match his physical ceiling, he won't just be in the same breath as Lawrence and Jones—he'll be setting the standard for them.
The Eagles have already built a dynasty-caliber core around him. Now, it's Carter's time to lead the charge into elite territory.
Related: Buccaneers Labeled Eagles' Kryptonite' In NFC Chase
Related: 'The Mercenary': Why Eagles Should Sign Jadeveon Clowney For One More Run
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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