There’s no need to sugarcoat it. The Philadelphia Eagles are a different team with defensive tackle Jalen Carter on the field. With Carter available, they have a dominant, even suffocating defense. Without him, they seem much more pedestrian and vulnerable.
That’s what made Carter’s shoulder injury, suffered last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so initially concerning for Philadelphia. He’s one of the few players the Eagles can truly not afford to lose for any period of time. Full stop.
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Fortunately, the Eagles have good news regarding Carter’s health. At the time of this writing, he seems to be on track to play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Carter was limited in Eagles practices toward the end of the week, but he was still participating. That bodes well for him to continue harassing offensive linemen on Denver’s roster in a real game:
We’ll see what kind of shape Carter is in once the Eagles’ and Broncos’ game is officially underway.
Who is Jalen Carter’s backup on Eagles if he doesn’t play?
Technically, veteran Za’Darius Smith is listed as Carter’s backup on the Eagles’ depth chart. Smith is an experienced and savvy player, which makes him a quality depth and rotational option for Philadelphia.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jalen Carter injury return: Is Eagles DT playing against Broncos?