Roob's Bonus Observations: Eagles Thrilled With A Humble, Motivated Jalen Carter

Roob's Bonus Observations: Eagles thrilled with a humble, motivated Jalen Carter originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Welcome to our first edition of Roob’s Eagles Training Camp Day-Off Bonus Observations!

In addition to our regularly schedule weekly Obs, we’ll be posting 10 bonus obs after every day off throughout training camp. And there are a bunch of them.

We’ll start today with our thoughts on Jalen Carter’s meeting with the media Wednesday, a day after he signed the contract that makes him the highest-paid interior lineman in NFL history.

1. I was impressed with the way Jalen Carter handled himself when he met with the media Wednesday to chat about his new contract, his expectations and his motivation. Carter came across as incredibly humble and team-oriented and said all the right things about the $152 million contract and his future. Probably the best interview Carter has done since he got here in 2023. “Yeah, my goal wasn’t to always just come out and, ‘Oh, let me just be the highest-paid defensive tackle.’ My goal was to build team chemistry and win a championship.” I guess that’s easy for anyone to say after getting a $152 million contract, but he really did come across as humble, genuine and believable. I just think if you spend enough time around Jordan Davis you’re going to figure out how to do the right thing the right way, and maybe Carter has reached that point. Davis is such a compelling mentor for Carter. If Carter can put the off-the-field stuff behind him I really believe he can be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Reporting in outstanding shape despite going through a drawn-out contract negotiation throughout the summer speaks highly of him: “I give him a lot of credit,” Nick Sirianni said. “He’s focused so much on football. He came back in phenomenal shape with his weight, with his conditioning test. Even with that contract still looming, he worked his ass off, and I’m proud of him for that. It shows you the type of guy he is and he’ll continue to be and excited for him to play ball.” How can you not be excited to see him play?

2. When you’re Darius Cooper and you’re undrafted and low man on the depth chart and the Eagles just added four wide receivers this offseason, you really have to find ways to stand out in limited reps. Cooper sure did that Wednesday. He made a number of good catches, most notably a diving snag of a Jalen Hurts pass down the middle of the field. What was particularly impressive was that Cooper held onto the ball after landing hard. These are the things Cooper did to make the team last year, but the WR room is deeper this year and it won’t be easy for him to stick. But if he keeps making plays like that, especially in the preseason games, he’s going to force the Eagles to make a very difficult decision. 

3. Great stuff from Vic Fangio when asked about Moro Ojomo in light of huge contract extensions for Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter: “Howie needs to save some money for him, too.” Vic was laughing, but he knows it’s going to be next to impossible for the Eagles to keep Ojomo, the former 7^th-round pick whose six sacks last year were 7^th-most by an interior lineman and most by a 7^th-round pick 25 or younger since Mark Smith of the Cards had 9.0 in 1998. Ojomo is still only 24 years old, but he’s entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract and with another big season he will price himself way out of the Eagles’ range. Ojomo is so talented and has so much upside I’d be shocked if he doesn’t have a big year. The problem is the Eagles already have so much money tied to defensive tackle, and Roseman never over-spends on one position because that means he’s not spending enough somewhere else. The bad news is Ojomo will likely be a victim of Roseman’s incredible run of outstanding draft picks. The good news is a 3^rd-round comp pick is a pretty good consolation prize.

4. We’ve seen a huge emphasis on throwing to the backs the first couple days of practice and I don’t know if that will carry over into the season – it seems like every year we talk about the Eagles throwing more to the backs, but it never happens – but this offense does have space for short, high-percentage passes to the backs and yards after the catch and the Eagles definitely have some backs who are good at it. Saquon Barkley had 91 catches as a rookie, and his 358 receptions since 2018 are 4^th-most among all NFL running backs. Tank Bigsby only has 11 catches in 50 games as a pro, but he’s been catching the ball well and picking up yards after the catch so far at practice. Will Shipley caught the ball well at Clemson – 85 receptions in three seasons – and even Dameon Pierce caught 30 passes in his big rookie season with the Texans. The Eagles are one of only two teams that hasn’t had a running back with 300 yards in a season since 2021 – they haven’t had one since Miles Sanders under Doug Pederson in 2019 – so it just hasn’t been a big part of the offense. But it seems like the Eagles have the scheme, the play caller and the personnel to change that. 

5. That backup center competition might not be the most riveting thing going on at camp, but it’s notable that Jake Majors has been running with the 2^nd-team offense at center with Drew Kendall over at right guard and Willie Lampkin at center with the third group. The Eagles claimed Lampkin last summer after the Rams tried to sneak him through waivers, but he spent the year on Injured Reserve and never practiced. Majors spent last year on the practice squad after the Bucs cut him. He played his college ball at Texas, where he started a school-record 56 games. Back-up center is kind of important since nobody knows if Cam Jurgens can hold up for a full season. We figured Kendall, a 5^th-round pick last year who was exclusively a center at Boston College, would be No. 2, and if not him it would be Lampkin, who had such a good camp last year with the Rams. Will be interesting to see if the Eagles work Kendall or Lampkin in there with the 2^nd-team o-line or if they just stick with Majors. 

6. Count Mike Quick as a fan of Dontayvion Wicks. Quick, the only wide receiver in Eagles history to make five straight Pro Bowls, said when the Eagles acquired Wicks in April he went back and watched film of Wicks with the Packers last year and was very impressed with what he was able to do with limited reps and limited targets. “They only threw to him when they had to,” Quick said while watching practice Thursday. “But he was making plays all over the place.” When Mike Quick talks about wide receivers you listen.

7. Speaking of conditioning, Sirianni has added more of an emphasis on conditioning this summer since Sean Mannion’s offense will require everyone to run more. Outside zone means Mannion wants to stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically and that means offensive linemen – and really everyone – will be on the move more than in previous Nick Sirianni schemes. For the receivers, backs and tight ends this is business as usual. These guys are always running. But for the linemen, it’s a different world, and it will require a higher level of fitness so they can still be effective at the end of a long drive or late in the fourth quarter running two-minute or four-minute. 

8. Howie Roseman was discussing defensive tackle depth before practice Wednesday and after mentioning Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo, he brought up one other name – Byron Young, who played well last year. He did say, “We’ve got a young group behind that that we’re really excited about,” but still it’s notable that Roseman never mentioned Ty Robinson, the 4^th-round pick last year who barely played as a rookie. Worse, Robinson has been lining up with the third team at practice and was even working with the developmental group after practice. Assuming the Eagles keep Uar Bernard on the 53 to make sure they don’t lose him, Robinson’s only path to the 53-man roster is as a sixth lineman … if the Eagles keep six. But he’d have to beat out Gabe Hall, who initially made the 53 last year, and intriguing rookie free agent Zion Wilson, who starred at East Carolina. Vic Fangio had little to say when asked Thursday about Robinson: “Too early. Especially with the d-lineman, off-season, we don’t have pads on. We’re not going to have pads on here for another few days. Too early.” It’s not unheard of for a 4^th-round pick to not make it to Year 2. Donnel Pumphrey got cut in 2018, Trevard Lindley in 2011. Jamaal Green in 2005. But that’s just two in the last two decades. It’s rare, but Robinson is going to have to start showing up to avoid seeing his name added to that list. If I was putting together a 53-man roster today, Robinson wouldn’t be on it.

9. Has anybody ever derailed their own career more spectacularly than Haason Reddick? His holdout with the Jets in 2024 wound up costing him about $5 million, ABC News in New York estimated, and that’s money he can never make up. Reddick, a Pro Bowler and double-digit sack producer with the Ealges in 2022 and 2023, wore out his welcome here and was traded to the Jets, where he sat out training camp, asked for a trade and managed just one sack in 10 games after he finally reported. He spent last year with the Bucs and had 2 ½ sacks in 13 games. After averaging 12 ½ sacks from 2020 through 2023, he had just 3 ½ in two seasons after leaving the Eagles. Reddick, a Haddon Heights and Temple graduate, is now 31 and not currently in a training camp. I doubt he’ll play again. Had a terrific career considering he was a walk-on at Temple, but if he did a few things differently he’d still be playing. 

10. Uar Bernard is an intriguing athlete with traits off the charts, but it’s clear this is a very long-term project and it’s going to be quite a while before Bernard has any chance to contribute. “The PP Plan, lots of patience and lots of persistence,” Fangio said when asked how the Eagles will try to bring Bernard along. “The day he put on a helmet here was the first time he ever put on a helmet. He hasn’t had shoulder pads on yet. That would be a new experience for him. Everybody, including himself and us, needs to temper any expectations down. He’s got a process to go through.”