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Jalen Carter bullies offensive lineman in first NFL snap

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•08/12/23•

ChandlerVessels

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Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Carter wasted no time making his presence felt as he took his first NFL snap Saturday in a preseason contest. The Philadelphia Eagles rookie defensive tackle slipped his way through the offensive line and got his hands on Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson to disrupt the play.

As Carter dragged Johnson to the ground, the QB barely got the ball off in time to avoid a sack. But it was a glimpse at what could come for Carter, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia. You can view his NFL debut below.

Jalen Carter joins an Eagles team that is coming off of a Super Bowl appearance this past season. He figures to step in right away as a starter on the defensive line that also features his former college teammate, Jordan Davis.

Carter was a key cog in helping Georgia to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Over his three year career in Athens, he totaled 83 tackles (18.5 for loss), six sacks and 77 QB hurries. He was one of three former Bulldogs to be drafted to Philadelphia this offseason along with linebacker Nolan Smith and defensive back Kelee Ringo.

The Eagles already led the NFL in sacks this past season with 70, which is 15 more than the Kansas City Chiefs, who ranked No. 2. With the addition of Carter, they’ll aim to remain among the best in the league at applying pressure to the quarterback.

The Eagles will kick off the regular season on Sept. 10 against the New England Patriots.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman opens up on decision to draft Jalen Carter

Carter was at one point considered the No. 1 overall pick on most NFL Draft board, but some legal charges this offseason caused his stock to fall. He pleaded no-contest to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a fatal car accident that killed teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, and the arrest warrant came out ahead of the NFL scouting combine.

But Eagles GM Howie Roseman saw the potential carter displayed at Georgia and, after getting to know him and evaluate his character, felt confident in adding him to the team.

“Obviously, he’s had a tough spring and a tragic loss of life in Georgia, and our hearts go out to the families of those who lost people in that accident,” Roseman said. “For us, it was a full process on Jalen and we feel very comfortable that he can have success in Philly. We don’t put that on our Georgia players. He’s our responsibility. We’re going to rally around him. We think he’s a tremendous talent, a good person. Again, young guy.

“We talk all the time, these guys, we bring them in here, we have to develop them. We can’t just ask them to come on the field and play. We’ve got to develop them on and off the field. That’s our responsibility. We have a great staff here that takes that part of the job really seriously, so we’ll really around him and give him the support that he needs to be a great player on the field and the best person he can be off the field.”