PHILADELPHIA — The common sentiment is that Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter could, and maybe even should, be one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive players. Right now, that remains only a projection more than three years into his career and just months after Carter became the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history.

After Carter was dominated by an admittedly talented Dallas interior offensive line, it’s fair to ask whether Eagles GM Howie Roseman could eventually face buyer’s remorse. Carter failed to record a pressure, much less a sack or tackle for loss, as Cowboys guard Tyler Booker frequently drove him off the line of scrimmage. Dallas finished with 204 rushing yards, including a career-high 155 from Javonte Williams in a 38-21 victory.

"People's standards are bigger than what ours are coming into the season,” Carter said Wednesday. “We all know it's a fresh new season, it's a fresh restart no matter what we did last year, the last 3-4 years don't matter. It's a whole new season, whole new group, new faces, new chemistry in the locker room. It's a restart for us.

“We obviously know we got good players. But we don't go out there saying just because we have good players, we're going to do this on the field. It's not showing right now."

Searching for consistency

Because of his reputation in Philadelphia, some questioned Carter’s effort, overlooking how quickly the 22-year-old Booker has developed into one of the league’s better guards. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio dismissed any lack of effort but again pointed to Carter’s week-to-week inconsistency.

“He’s just got to get the mindset to where he’ll be consistent all the time," Fangio said. " ... You just need to have the right mindset.”

Fangio has made similar comments before, but the stakes feel higher after Carter signed his four-year, $152 million extension in July. Through the Eagles’ 2-5 start, Carter has three sacks and three forced fumbles. Those numbers look acceptable for a defensive tackle on the surface, yet two sacks and two forced fumbles came in Philadelphia’s Week 5 loss to the Jaguars—the high point of his season, when he looked like the best player on the field for the first 30 minutes.

Producing at that level only 14.3% of the time underscores that Carter possesses superstar traits but remains far from being a consistent superstar. The Eagles need him to reach that level if they are to maximize their defensive ceiling and justify the organization’s massive investment.

“Not to downgrade Jacksonville or whatever, but the game plan coming throughout the week from the opponents was different. Cowboys played it smarter,” Carter said on Wednesday. “... Whatever you want to call it, and they wanted it more.

"That’s it.”

Somewhat flippantly, Carter described his performance this season as “trash.” That is not an accurate assessment, but the response reflected a laissez-faire attitude unlikely to play well in Philadelphia.

“Y’all ask me this every year, and I say trash,” Carter said when asked about his performance. “I think you asked for this last year and the year before and I gave you the same answer: Trash. Not to my expectations and I guess not to what the fans want.

“Don’t really matter what they want.”

Lost in that phrasing was Carter’s point that he is trying to meet his own standard, which he views as higher than outside expectations. He declined to speak with reporters after the Cowboys loss, then offered a more defensive explanation Wednesday when pressed on accountability.

“I don’t think I’m a public spokesperson,” Carter said. “I think y’all just want to talk to me because we’re losing.”

Accustomed to winning at Georgia and in his early Eagles career, Carter acknowledged the different atmosphere during a five-game skid, but said the setbacks are not affecting him.

“It was my first time losing,” Carter said when asked whether a 2-5 record has taken a toll on him. “So, obviously, it feels different. It’s a different atmosphere in the locker room after the game and what you guys say online and stuff like that, but it don’t affect me at all.”

For $152 million, maybe it should.

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