Philadelphia Eagles fans know better than anyone else that it’s super easy to get carried away with preseason and training camp performances, but the Jalen Carter headlines are hard to ignore.

The Eagle’s first-round pick and arguably the steal of the 2023 NFL Draft, Jalen Carter, has turned heads since draft night when he was selected No. 9 overall.

Here’s PFF’s initial reaction to the Birds snagging Jalen Carter on draft night

“The Philadelphia Eagles did have to trade up to grab Jalen Carter, but the expectation was that they’d have to move up higher than one spot to land him. A future fourth-round pick is a small price to pay for arguably the cleanest on-field projection in this draft class.”

Now, fast forward to the current moment; Carter appears to be taken off his “bubble wrap” and is being unleashed. Just take a look at his first preseason snap against the Baltimore Ravens.

Eagles DT Jalen Carter is looking like the steal of the NFL Draft

To add to his impressive preseason debut, Carter has continued to turn heads in the first joint practice with the Cleveland Browns. Keep in mind, he was matched up against Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, who are two of the best players at their position in the NFL.

Jalen Carter in first joint practice vs. CLE

• 2 sacks
• Tackle for loss
• Fumble recovery
• QB hit that nearly forced INT

The Eagles deployed Carter on the first team at defensive tackle as well as the edge in 3-technique, which is a new wrinkle for the defense, and he was dominant in both positions.

If any team in the league knows how to identify and develop interior defensive line talent, that would be the Eagles. Fletcher Cox, who has the privilege of playing alongside Carter in his rookie year, has had a very long and illustrious career in the NFL, tallying six pro bowl selections, and is probably the 2nd best player at the DT position over the last decade.

Fletcher Cox on Jalen Carter

“The biggest thing is just seeing him go out and destroy people,” Cox said after practice. “I can say he’s soaking it up. He’s learning each day. The technique and how to take care of himself. The importance of things on the field and how they need to be taken care of on the field.

“Being smart, making smart decisions on the field. Knowing the playbook. I think he’s got a pretty good handle scheme-wise and what the coaches expect of him. And now it’s up to him to go out and execute on the field and ball out.”

As we get closer to the season and more meaningful football, Carter’s early performances only add to the excitement. It will only be a matter of time until the rest of the football world sees the monster Carter is and the mistake they’ve made allowing Howie Roseman and the Eagles to get ahold of him.

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