Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Carter made a sparkling debut to put himself ahead of the pack in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race this season.
In the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Patriots, defensive tackle Jalen Carter delivered as advertised. The No. 9 overall pick boosted an already championship-caliber defense, working in a unit dripping with talent from Fletcher Cox to Jordan Davis to Milton Williams.
Carter capped off his NFL debut with one tackle, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit; he also recorded a team-high six pressures. He played 50 percent of defensive snaps and was mostly employed in a limited role on passing downs, with the Eagles hoping to keep Pats quarterback Mac Jones on his toes.
Philly fans were itching to see Carter record his first career sack, and it came on one of the most crucial stops of the Week 1 victory. On a Patriots' 2nd-and-10 with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter, the Eagles, up by five, had to close out the game.
New England was inching closer and closer to the Eagles' red zone on the final offensive drive; despite a slow start, what better way for the Patriots to seal a shocking comeback win than with Tom Brady in the house?
Mac Jones and the Pats offense would be denied, however, because of a certain 300-pound rookie.
Eagles DT Jalen Carter puts his name on DROY ballot
The Eagles would go on to win, 25-20, thanks to Carter and a stout defense's efforts late in the game.
Currently, Carter has the second-highest odds to win NFL DROY in 2023 at +700, according to DraftKings. He trails Texans' Will Anderson Jr. (+400) but is ahead of Patriots' Christian Gonzalez (+950), Raiders' Tyree Wilson (+1000), and Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon (+1000),
Even though Carter impressed on Sunday, the rest of that group is looking just as fierce. Anderson became the first rookie in franchise history to record a sack in the season opener in the Texans' loss to the Ravens.
Christian Gonzalez also dazzled in the Eagles-Patriots game, denying a completion on an Eagles' 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarter to give his team a shot at mounting a late comeback.
Competition for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award, as for any league-wide accolade, will be tough this season. Carter may be a popular favorite but he's not running away with the trophy, not after just one week of action.
