Jalen Carter shares brutal self-evaluation of where he stands against the elite

The Philadelphia Eagles know they have something special in defensive tackle Jalen Carter, as he hasn't reached his full potential, which is a scary thought.

One of this week's big storylines coming out of Eagles OTAs is what former team legend Jeremiah Trotter said about hearing that Carter doesn't yet completely understand how to play the defensive tackle position. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio agreed with Trotter on his assessment, as the word is out that Carter is only going to get better with more coaching.

Now it's Carter's turn to speak about his development and where he stands. He gave a blunt assessment on where he stacks up against the best in the NFL

Carter's self-evaluation will only make Eagles fans love him more

NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro shared Carter's thoughts, as the third-year lineman knows he's not yet at the level of players like Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones or New York Giants' Dexter Lawrence. Carter is willing to put in the work to get there soon.

“This is what I wanted to do,” Carter said via Zangaro. “I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best. I’m not there yet. I still got a lot of people in front of me that’s obviously been in the league a couple (more) years, got years of experience on me. But I’m just going to keep grinding every day. Not just me by myself working on specific things to get better, just being around the team having the guys support me also makes me also be one of the best in the league.”

Carter already boasts a notable resume after two years in the NFL, having finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, earned a Pro Bowl selection the following year, and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2024. In 32 career games, Carter has accumulated 75 tackles, 25 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, six pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

According to PFF, Carter had the 22nd-best overall grade among interior defensive linemen out of a possible 219 with 74.1. He's more known for what he does in pass rushing situations, as he got an 81.5 pass rush grade, which was seventh at the position. Carter was also ninth in the NFL last year at interior defensive lineman in pressures with 53.

There haven't been many defensive tackles in the last decade that has gotten off to the start that Carter has in his career. It helps that he has been surrounded by a winning culture and a defensive coordinator who knows how to put out an elite defense.

Things will only go up for Carter in Philadelphia, with Jordan Davis also showing improvement in his play. They are looking poised to be the best one-two punch at tackle in the NFL.

Eagles fans are impatiently waiting to see what Carter can bring to the table in season three, but they can only expect it to be better than ever.