Jalen Carter not satisfied despite being NFL Rookie of the Year favorite
Eagles rookie Jalen Carter is doing everything a terrific defensive tackle is supposed to do. He’s smashing blockers out of the way. And he’s making quarterbacks very uncomfortable.
So could he be the next NFL rookie defensive player of the year? Oddsmakers certainly think so, although there’s still a ton of games left to play.
This past Sunday, in Philadelphia’s 23-14 road win over the Rams, Carter had his way with the LA offensive line. That’s why he was able to sack Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford two times. It was the first multi-sack game for the former Georgia standout. And, it also has been a very long while since any Eagles rookie tackle did so.
Jalen Carter is first Eagles DT to pull off double sacks in decades
Carter is the first Eagles rookie to pick up at least two sacks in a game since defensive end Derek Barnett did it in 2017. However, Carter is the first rookie tackle to pick up double sacks since Corey Simon in 2000.
A reporter asked Carter if he’s “unstoppable.”
That would be no, Carter said. “I still got a lot to improve, man. There’s a lot of plays out there where I could have won my rep, but I got blocked that rep. So I just gotta get better every week.”
And he attributed his success to figuring out the Rams snap count, which he said allowed him to fire off the line a step quicker than normal.
Brian Baldinger, a former NFL lineman who now works as an analyst for NFL Network, broke down some of Jalen Carter’s plays. Have a look at what he shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Baldinger says Jalen Carter left skeleton bones in his wake
Baldinger is colorful when he describes the play of the big dudes up front. Here’s how he narrated the series of Jalen Carter plays.
“The first thing you notice on Jalen Carter’s first play is the sheer power as he comes on his inside move, and just knocks the center down. … then you see the cat quickness. Remember the old wax, on wax off, wax on, wax off? Down goes Stafford. And then you get this right here. (Carter) just unleashes fury right here on the center. Done. (Matthew) Stafford’s like ‘there’s a good sack.’ And just a good twisting of the helmet and a body. … Just leaving skeletal bones right there.”
And Baldinger continued gushing about Carter as only an old lineman can.
“Then you get this right here. Beats the center, throws the guard out of the way,” he says. “And then the chase is on. Because just getting that paw on the quarterback’s back is fun. It’s just fun. … Then you get this quick right here. … Bam. Like it’s over. He is coming and he’s coming fast. The bread man is in Philly.”
Carter’s odds of winning are better than even
Here are the most recent betting odds for defensive rookie of the year:
| Jalen Carter | DL | Eagles | -175 |
| Devon Witherspoon | CB | Seahawks | +300 |
| Will Anderson | EDGE | Texans | +1000 |
| Brian Branch | S | Lions | +1000 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | EDGE | Chargers | +3000 |
Betting odds for offensive rookie of the year
| CJ Stroud | QB | Texans | +165 |
| Puka Nacua | WR | Rams | +400 |
| De’Von Achane | RB | Dolphins | +400 |
| Bijan Robinson | RB | Falcons | +500 |
| Anthony Richardson | QB | Colts | +850 |