Jalen Carter Injury Update
Carter’s Sunday was, well, textbook NFL drama except maybe the part where your shoulder starts yelling louder than the crowd in Tampa. The guy left the Eagles’ game midway through the third quarter, clutching a shoulder that’s been bothering him since back in training camp. You’d think someone who throws 300-pound linemen around would be immune to these nagging injuries, but football has a way of reminding you that pain comes standard. For a few anxious minutes, the broadcast dissolved into sideline footage of Carter getting evaluated, faces tight with concern: coaches, teammates, fans everybody. For a second there, even the nachos felt tense.
On Twitter, @JClarkNBCS shared Jalen Carter’s words about playing through his shoulder injury: “I’ve battled through pain all my life.” He said it was all about the team, highlighting moments like helping Moro Ojomo get a big sack.
But he didn’t stay out long. Carter, who usually plays about 90% of the team’s defensive snaps, came right back in during the fourth quarter, right when things were getting dicey for Philly. I’ve seen stories where a player shrugs off a knock like it’s nothing, but this was clearly bothering him. “Just some pain,” Carter said after the game, adding that he was going to get it checked out Monday, maybe with a shrug, maybe not. I wish you could hear his voice it wasn’t bravado, more like someone who knows playoff hopes don’t pause for aching joints.
What gets me is how these guys will play through just about anything. Carter’s not some anonymous backup. The Eagles’ defense basically relies on him to open up run lanes, collapse pockets, and somewhere in there, scare the daylights out of quarterbacks. He went back in on a critical down and helped run a stunt with Ojomo that crashed the Bucs’ last-ditch drive. Remember that moment the stadium so tense even the peanut vendors stopped working because Carter was right in the middle of it, shoulder be damned.
After the game, he wasn’t exactly playing up Superman vibes. “I aggravated it,” he said. Didn’t even bother dressing it up. Monday’s MRI is set to reveal whether he’ll have actually to rest, or if it’s just a little more tape and a couple of Advil before the Broncos game next week.
On Twitter, @ReinerOlivia reported that Jalen Carter left the game with a shoulder injury but later returned. He said he aggravated a previous issue and will get more details tomorrow, adding, "I've got to finish for the guys."
There’s an old Eagles fan at my local bar, let’s call him “Big Lou,” who always says, “Eagles don’t fly; they fight through wind and pain.” Guys like Jalen Carter, sore shoulder and all, make you believe that, at least for a Sunday or two.
