Jalen Carter returned to practice on Thursday, sporting a beige cast on his right wrist.
Carter, the Eagles’ 25-year-old defensive tackle, missed Wednesday’s practice with a wrist injury. He was a limited participant on Thursday. While he declined to reveal the precise nature of his injury after practice, Carter said he will play on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
“Just a minor adjustment, and I’m still out there practicing and ready to play,” Carter said.
Carter said he sustained the injury in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders while attempting to punch the ball out of wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s hands in the fourth quarter.
The two-time Pro Bowler has experienced his share of injuries. Dating back to the start of training camp last year, Carter had issues with his shoulders that required injections. He ended up missing three weeks late last season. At the time, he admitted that his shoulders gave him issues throughout the year, as he finished the season with just three sacks.
On Sunday, Carter didn’t miss any playing time. In fact, he played 94% of the defensive snaps, which led all Eagles defensive linemen.
Carter didn’t record a sack or a quarterback hit, but still had three quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. He also blocked a Commanders extra point attempt in the second quarter, bringing his career total to four blocks (two extra points, two field goals).
His study of the kicking operation during the week helps set him up for success on game day, he said. Carter times up the snap, gets off the ball quickly and generates knock-back, and jumps as high as he can.
But it’s not just about execution for Carter — it’s also about his mindset.
“You want to go out there,” Carter said. “You don’t want them to score at all. But if it’s a three-point field goal or a field goal after a touchdown, you still want to stop them from getting an extra point.”
The Eagles will rely on Carter’s impact on defense, too, when they travel to Nashville for the second game of the season. On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio criticized the Eagles’ pass rush in their win over the Commanders, calling it “inconsistent” and claiming it “really wasn’t good enough.”
The Eagles sacked Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels just once. They pressured Daniels on half of his 38 dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. But Daniels extended plays with his legs and scrambled, to the detriment of the Eagles’ defense.
“I’d just say it’s Week 1,” Carter said. “We’ve got 17 more games. It’s going to get better throughout the weeks, and we could watch the film off Week 1, but we also can’t go back and change what happened.”
Carter, who signed a contract extension before training camp that made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history, could fare better on Sunday against the Titans.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward is capable of using his legs, too, but not at the same level as Daniels. Ward’s protection isn’t as sound, either. The Titans’ offensive line was porous in their Week 1 loss to the New York Jets, conceding 16 total pressures, including three sacks.
Carter could have opportunities to take Ward down, so long as he can stay healthy and shoulder a substantial workload. He said he has been playing a high percentage of the defensive snaps dating back to 2024 and doesn’t have a problem maintaining that pace.
Whether he is required to play through the wrist injury or the mid-September Tennessee heat in Sunday’s forecast, Carter isn’t letting anything deter him.
“I’m from Florida,” Carter said. “I love the heat. I’m not going to complain. They do got the turf [at Nissan Stadium], but got to play through anything to get a dub, whatever the case may be.”
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