Understudy To Eagles' Jalen Carter Rises To Occasion

PHILADELPHIA – It’s likely that defensive tackle Jalen Carter will miss his second straight game when the Las Vegas Raiders visit Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Suddenly, though, it doesn’t feel like the end of the Eagles’ world without him.

Yeah, they lost to the Chargers without him, but would his presence have made a difference in a 22-19 overtime loss? Hard to say, but the Eagles rang up a season-high seven sacks of L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert, and guess who had 1.5 of them? Byron Young, Carter's understudy.

“I just felt like I was able to have a feel for the game,” he said. “Obviously, I wish we could’ve won it. That’s always the most important thing. But I was able to play more snaps than I had in the past, and I was able to get a feel for everything that was going on in the game.”

They were the first sacks of career that began as a 2023 third-round pick of the very same Raiders that come to town this weekend.

Jalen Carter's Fill-In Rising To Occasion

Sep 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young (94) against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“I hate that it came at Jalen’s expense of him being out and missing time because when he’s on the field, we’re better as a team,” said Young. “I hate that he’s hurt, and I hope that he gets back as soon as he can. But for me, I wanted to show that I was capable of doing whatever I needed to do, and more than what people probably expected. It’s always what I expected of myself. But I feel like I’m capable of a lot of stuff in this league.”

Carter could miss only one more game, that being on Sunday, because the recommended amount of rest after a platelet rich plasma injection (PRP) is two weeks.

Young, though, has given the Eagles hope after a game that included not just 1.5 sacks, but also eight tackles, which is a high number for a defensive tackle. It may surprise some that he has been able to step in and be an impactful player because he didn’t play last year, after the Eagles claimed him after being released by the Raiders.

He played 38 snaps against the Bears, and made only one tackle on Black Friday, but that was a game in which he relieved an ailing Carter. With a full week to prepare for a bigger role, his game took another step up in Los Angeles.

“A lot of people probably doubted me since I didn’t play last year, and haven’t played as much as I’d like to this year,” he said, “but I mean, it’s not about turning the heads of anybody outside of here. It’s doing what I need to do within the organization because at the end of the day, the only people that matter are here in this building. That’s what’s important to me.”

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