Carter, who’s fresh off a Pro Bowl season, as well as winning Super Bowl 57, is considered one of the more important players on not just the Eagles defensive line, but the defense as a whole.

Last season, he posted solid numbers, with 42 total tackles, five pass deflections, four and a half sacks and two forced fumbles. Beyond that, he averaged just little more than three pressures per game, as well as finishing in the top five in Pass-Rush Grade.

But to start the season, it has been nothing but mental gaffes and an inability to keep up with his peers.

On the first game of the season, just before the first snap of the season, Carter got into a minor spat with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott, who was seen egging him on, baited Carter into causing a penalty – which is exactly what happened.

The third year pro spit in Prescott's general direction, with it mostly landing below his face. But in any situation, that’s a major no-no.

He was quickly ejected from the game, giving the Cowboys tremendous field position right after the kickoff.

Did we mention it was before the first snap of the game? We did? Just checking.

The following week, essentially his season debut, Carter had himself a solid game against the Kansas City Chiefs, recording two total tackles, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits.

But what followed that game came with grave concern about his conditioning, because defensive coordinator Vic Fangio isn’t too pleased with his current shape.

“I think he needs to round into better shape, both he and I have talked about that,” Fangio said. “He readily admits that and I think we’ll get more. There’s a lot of reasons for that. He has had a shoulder issue that has limited his time on the practice field. The shorter practices that we do, the lack of reps that he’s gotten for multiple reasons, all of that.”

Perhaps it’s encouraging that Carter acknowledges his shortcomings, but this is an ongoing concern for the Georgia product.

Even before he was drafted in 2023, there were already concerns about his character and if he takes the game seriously. 

In March of that year, Carter had a warrant out for his arrest for being responsible for the deaths of Georgia staff member Chandler LeCroy and teammate Devin Willock in a street race turned into a fatal car accident.

Having turned himself in, and ended up avoiding jail time.

During that Draft, he was well known as a top-three draft pick, but with his legal issues weighing on him, he slipped to ninth where the Eagles snatched him up.

It was smart business then, and it’s smart now. In shape or not, Carter is still one of the better defensive linemen in football. But now, it’s up to him to make things right and carry himself like a professional.