Eagles snap counts: Jalen Carter has an Iron Man performance

Jalen Carter didn’t leave the field.

The Eagles’ defense played 66 snaps in their 26-18 win over the Commanders on Thursday night and Carter played every single one of them.

That’s something Fletcher Cox never did in his incredible 12-year career with the Eagles. In fact, NFL snap count data goes back to 2012 and this is the first time an Eagles defensive tackle has ever played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in a game.

Defensive tackle is supposed to be a rotational position but Carter played 96.3% of the snaps against the Jaguars and now he played 100% of the snaps against the Commanders. Those are the two highest-percentage games for an Eagles defensive tackle on record.

And he’s playing well too.

Carter on Thursday night was a menace. He had seven total tackles, a tackle for loss and was applying pressure to the Commanders’ offensive line and quarterback Jayden Daniels all night.

“I mean, I heard about Jalen Carter before I got here but it’s different to see it in person,” linebacker Zack Baun said. “And to play behind it is unreal. He doesn’t always pop out on the stat sheet but he’s always making plays and knocking the O-line back so we can make plays. He’s doing a really good job. All the credit to him and JD and the guys up front.”

The Eagles have a mini bye week after playing on Thursday night, which is probably why defensive coordinator Vic Fangio felt comfortable playing Carter every snap in this game. He’ll have a few extra days to recover before the Eagles face the Rams in LA next weekend.

Before Carter entered the league, Cox had the top 11 spots on the Eagles’ list of defensive snap percentage games (dating back to 2012) but Carter now owns three of the top 10.

Carter is the only defensive tackle in the NFL to play 100% of the defensive snaps for his team in a game this season. And his game against the Jaguars ranks second among defensive tackles this season. The next-highest on the list is Christian Wilkins, who played 95.4% of the Raiders’ snaps against the Ravens in Week 2.

In the previous five years (2019-23), just four defensive tackles have played 100% of their team’s snaps in a game: Aaron Donald x3, Derrick Brown, Greg Gaines and Akiem Hicks. And of those six games, Donald was the only player who played more actual snaps; he played 71 in one of those games.

Here’s how the full DT rotation shook out on Thursday night against the Commanders: Carter 66 snaps (100%), Jordan Davis 26 snaps (39%), Milton Williams 22 snaps (33%), Moro Ojomo 20 snaps (30%), Thomas Booker 6 snaps (9%). Williams got a foot injury during the game.

Other defensive notes

• In addition to Carter, Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay all played every snap. Cooper DeJean played 64 of 66 and Nakobe Dean played 63.

• On the edge, Josh Sweat led the way with 45 snaps (68%), followed by Nolan Smith 33 snaps (50%), Brandon Graham 32 snaps (48%) and Bryce Huff 14 snaps (21%). After playing 25 snaps in Dallas, rookie Jalyx Hunt didn’t see the field on defense but played 16 special teams snaps.

• Avonte Maddox played 4 snaps and Sydney Brown got out there for 1.

Offensive notes

• In his return from Injured Reserve, Jordan Mailata played all 71 offensive snaps against the Commanders. After the game, Mailata said his hamstring held up fine in the game. Mekhi Becton, Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson all played every snap as well.

• Jalen Hurts played all 71 snaps despite getting checked for a concussion just before halftime. Hurts had to take a trip to the blue medical tent but was cleared to return for the second half.

• Landon Dickerson suffered a leg injury in this game and missed eight snaps, which were played by backup Tyler Steen. The injury happened early in the game when Dickerson’s legs got caught awkwardly under a pile. But the Pro Bowl left guard was able to return.

• At wideout, A.J. Brown led the way with 69 snaps (97%), followed by DeVonta Smith 63 snaps (89%), Jahan Dotson 29 snaps (41%), Johnny Wilson 13 snaps (18%) and Ainias Smith 6 snaps (8%). Brown was the most productive receiver with 5 catches for 65 yards. Smith came into the game with a hamstring injury and was seen limping his way to the locker room after the game. The mini bye week should help him.

• Dallas Goedert played 63 of 71 snaps, while Grant Calcaterra played 37 (52%) and C.J. Uzomah played 3.

• Saquon Barkley played 58 of 71 snaps (82%) and Kenny Gainwell played 13 snaps (18%). Both had really good fourth quarters. Barkley ended up with 198 scrimmage yards on 28 touches, while Gainwell had 43 rushing yards on 4 carries.

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