Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter Lost Rookie of the Year Award

At the NFL Honours ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday night, Jalen Carter, a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, was defeated by Houston’s Will Anderson for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Along with Anderson, Devon Witherspoon of Seattle, Joey Porter Jr. of Pittsburgh, and Kobie Turner of Los Angeles, Carter was a finalist for the prize.

Carter scored 122 points, while Anderson scored 151 to take home the trophy. Porter Jr. had six, Witherspoon had 57, and Turner had 95.

Carter, the ninth overall choice in the 2023 NFL draft, had a fantastic first season until losing steam later in the campaign. In addition to his 33 total stops, he recorded two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and six sacks, which placed him third on the team.

Carter’s and Anderson’s numbers are comparable. The defensive end for the Texans totaled 45 tackles, with 10.5 of those being for loss, and seven sacks.

After the Eagles dismissed defensive coordinator Sean Desai and senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia, who assumed play-calling duties late in the regular season, Carter will have to adjust to a new defence in his second NFL season.

The Eagles had a dismal season, losing six of their final seven games, including the wild card round elimination game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a result, they recruited veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio last month to oversee the defence. The Birds had an 11-6 record at the end of the regular season, having started the season 10-1.

The likely exits of veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham would put further pressure on Carter to perform well, as he will be a crucial part of Fangio’s defence in the upcoming year.

Come the offseason, Cox and Graham are both free agents. Graham stated following the playoff defeat that he would like to go on a “farewell tour” and play one more season in Philadelphia; however, it is currently unknown if Cox would rejoin the squad.

Carter was considered the finest prospect in the class when he entered the NFL draft last year, but his ranking dropped because of off-field issues following his involvement in a deadly collision that claimed the lives of recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy and University of Georgia teammate Devin Willock.

After entering a plea agreement with prosecutors, Carter was charged with two misdemeanours and agreed to a 12-month probationary period, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and a driving course.

Carter has been sued after the occurrence by the father of Willock and a woman who was gravely hurt in the collision.