Injury Explains Struggles For Eagles’ Jalen Carter

The Eagles' second-team All-Pro defensive tackle has not been himself this season while dealing with a painful shoulder injury.

Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is out for Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers after undergoing a procedure on both of his shoulders to alleviate problems that date back to the offseason.

Carter has had issues with at least one of his shoulder since the spring and missed the first three practices of training camp during the summer while dealing with the issue. He played an NFL-high for interior defenders with 1,068 snaps last season. This season, Carter is at 582 snaps, sixth in the league for defensive tackles.

He’s also been on the injury report at times while trying to play through pain during the season.

It all culminated with a poor Black Friday performance during a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears in which the Philadelphia defense allowed 281 rushing yards, and Carter played one of his worst games as a pro.

The third-year star underwent the procedure on Monday and was seen by Eagles On SI driving up the NovaCare Complex entrance on Wednesday afternoon, two days after the treatment.

Dr. David Chao, the former team physician for the Chargers who is a sports injury analyst for SISScore.com, speculated that the procedure was likely Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections.

Reports indicate Jalen Carter underwent procedures on both shoulders, but it was likely PRP injections rather than surgery. He will miss a couple of weeks. The Eagles could keep him off IR if they need him back, but if not, he may sit out the remainder of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/2kMtIuCBdq
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) December 4, 2025

Carter waved hello and was in no obvious discomfort, nor was he wearing anything for support.

The Eagles’ most talented defender will miss Monday night’s Week 14 game against the Chargers and is expected to be week-to-week moving forward.

The belief is that Carter will return this season, and the injured reserve list is not being considered.

The Eagles lead the NFC East with an 8-4 record and currently are the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

Next Man Up

The interior defensive line rotation will likely be shortened against the Chargers, with Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Byron Young doing the heavy lifting. Rookie Ty Robinson is also available after being inactive for the past four games.

The practice squad also includes two defensive tackles in Gabe Hall and fifth-year veteran Ta’Quon Graham.

MORE NFL: A Rare Misfire By Eagles’ Vic Fangio?