Eagles player described his start to the season as ‘trash.’ Here’s how he plans to fix it

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has not gotten off to a strong start this season, not looking as disruptive as he was at the beginning of his rookie campaign, when he was named the runner-up for the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

When asked about how he assessed his performance this season, Carter gave a blunt response.

"If I'm being real about myself, trash," Carter said. "I feel like I could be way better. I have a lot of stuff I have to work on—my hands, being able to read the formation of the offensive line, reading, running, pass rushing, literally everything."

Through two games this season, Carter does not have a sack and has two hurries, three pressures, one quarterback knockdown, and three tackles. Using a word like "trash" is nothing new for Carter, who is tough on himself after every game, always trying to find ways to improve.

"That's how I talk about myself," Carter said. "It doesn't bring me down. You see stuff in the media that's getting talked about a lot, but it doesn't bring me down. I keep it real with myself. I've been like this since college, when I had to transition from attack-react to react-attack. That's how I keep it real with myself. I don't want to say I'm doing good when I see on film that it's not up to the standard."

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Carter, the team's first-round pick in last year's draft, has not only struggled on the field but also faced off-field issues. He didn't play the first series of last Monday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons because he was late to a team meeting. Carter explained that he stepped on his phone and it was unplugged. Though he said he is not typically late, Carter took responsibility and vowed it wouldn't happen again.

"It was a decision the coaches made, and I have to respect it," Carter said. "I came in late, and I have to take full responsibility for that. It happened, and it won't happen again."

The Eagles will need Carter if they want to turn around their 30th-ranked defense that has given up an average of 399.5 yards per game when they face the New Orleans Saints Sunday afternoon at the Caesars Superdome. They will need to make quarterback Derek Carr uncomfortable in the pocket while ensuring Carter maintains gap responsibility and doesn't leave holes for Saints running back Alvin Kamara to exploit.

"I just have to play better," Carter said. "This is a league where everybody has a goal, everybody has a job, and everyone has a family to feed, so everybody is out there working as hard as they can."

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