The Philadelphia Eagles will be without star defensive tackle Jalen Carter on Monday night after it was announced that he underwent a series of procedures on both shoulders.
The team has yet to provide a definitive timeline for Carter’s return, but has said that he will be considered week-to-week at this point. Per Adam Schefter, Carter opted to undergo the procedures now in order to be as close to 100% healthy as possible for a playoff run later this year.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had referenced the fact that Carter was dealing with a shoulder issue earlier this week, but didn’t hint at any kind of medical intervention being required. “[Jalen Carter] does have a shoulder issue. He’s been playing with it — late in the game, he had a great game with it, but yeah, it’s definitely something there,” Fangio told reporters.
According to reports, the 24 year old has been dealing with a nagging injury since the summer. It would appear as though that injury was exacerbated at some point in the team’s 24-15 loss to the Bears last week, as the former Georgia standout played only 70.1% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Even with his lower than usual participation, Carter still managed 4 tackles (two for a loss), and a sack vs. Chicago. Overall, it’s been an up and down season for the 2nd team All-Pro DT. There was of course his infamous ejection in Game 1 of the season for spitting on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. And overall his numbers have taken a dip across the board from his 2024 totals.
How much of that has to do with his shoulder injuries vs. teams now game planning around his disruptive presence on the interior of the defensive line remains to be seen. For now however, the Eagles will need to handle the Chargers strong running game without one of their defensive pillars along the line.
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