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Commanders preparing for the Eagles’ Jalen Carter, ‘one of the most dominant players,’ now and beyond

Jalen Carter and Jayden Daniels could be facing off for years to come as NFC East rivals. On Sunday, they're standing in the way of each other reaching the Super Bowl.

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will be meeting for the third time this season.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will be meeting for the third time this season.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

ASHBURN, Va. — The biggest unknown heading into Sunday’s NFC championship game — at least the one most people seem to be talking about — is the status of Jalen Hurts and how his left knee might hinder his ability to move around.

At the Washington Commanders’ practice facility, that wonder has likely taken a backseat to a different unknown about a different Jalen and a question that will have ripple effects not just this weekend but into the future: How the heck are we going to stop Jalen Carter?

The Commanders have what every NFL team trying to turn the corner desires: a star quarterback. Jayden Daniels, a 24-year-old on a rookie contract that presents an exciting early window, followed by a nightmare of a task with your on-staff capologists to fit the pieces together in the future. Think 2022 Hurts compared with 2024 Hurts and then 2027 Hurts.

The Eagles have, in a way, the defensive version of this: a game-wrecking defensive tackle, Carter, who also is on a rookie contract. Carter, 23, is one of the best defensive tackles in football in his second season, and on a defense that has punched above its cap hits, he is the best bang-for-buck number on the board, his cap hit just south of $5 million.

Forget the cap stuff for now, that is just extra context for what the future looks like for both of these divisional rivals. The Commanders have a quarterback who looks like the real deal, who could turn into the best quarterback in the NFC East for years to come. And the Eagles, whom the Commanders have to play twice every season and, like this playoff run shows, possibly a third time in order to reach the ultimate goal, have the type of player who can nullify any quarterback and any offense.

Quarterback matchups are sexy. But forget Hurts vs. Daniels. The real matchup of the future is Carter vs. Daniels.

“He’s one of the most dominant players in the league, if not the most dominant that I’ve seen,” Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “He can wreck a game by himself. They’re good enough up front to rush four and get pressure, as they’ve shown throughout the year. But that guy’s really come on. I have a ton of respect for the way he plays the game, whether they’re up, down, whatever, he’s playing hard, he’s getting his wins, and he changed that entire defense with his style of play this year.”

» READ MORE: Brian Johnson took the blame for last year’s Eagles. Now, he’s a ‘heavy hitter’ with the high-powered Commanders.

‘He’s a star’

It was late in the second quarter of the 2022 SEC championship game, and Carter’s Georgia Bulldogs were on their way to a rout of Daniels’ LSU Tigers. After a Georgia touchdown extended the first-half lead to 28-7, LSU took over on its own 25-yard line with less than three minutes remaining in the half.

First down: Carter blows past the left guard and gets into the backfield to stuff a rushing attempt for a 1-yard loss.

Second down: Carter blows past the left guard and is in Daniels’ face before his three-step drop is finished. Carter gets a sack and lifts Daniels in the air with one arm, his other pointed toward the Mercedes-Benz Stadium ceiling.

Carter hasn’t had a chance to do that yet with the Eagles. When the Eagles and Commanders first met, on Nov. 14, Carter had a big day, with a season-high seven total tackles and 2½ run stuffs. But he pressured Daniels only once during the Eagles’ 26-18 win. On Dec. 22, Carter got four pressures on Daniels, though he didn’t record a sack. Like in most games, Carter’s impact goes beyond the numbers.

» READ MORE: Moro Ojomo gave ‘Inner Excellence’ to A.J. Brown. The lesser-known Eagle has his own motivational story.

Carter’s big highlight from that second game came on a play he didn’t make. During the Commanders’ eventual game-winning drive, Carter attempted a play he has tried a few times: an interception on a spike attempt. Carter almost did it, and the two shared a laugh about it.

There was a lowlight for Carter, too, in that Week 16 game. Daniels got out in the open field and planted his left foot in the ground before cutting right and getting through Carter’s tackle attempt, one of a career-worst four missed tackles Carter had in that game.

“That boy, he’s a star,” Carter said earlier this season before the teams played for the first time. “I saw him in college, played against him, when we played him at LSU. ... He was moving around. He can run. He’s a good mobile quarterback.”

Daniels has the full attention of the Eagles. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday that Daniels “probably” was the best rookie quarterback he has ever seen, and Fangio has been coaching defenses in the NFL since the mid-1980s.

“He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate, not by the tape,” Fangio said. “The guy is playing extremely well. You can tell how much they think he’s playing so good by the volume of their offense and the things they trust him to do. He’s come through for them in a big way, and he’s tough to handle.”

The opposition can say the same about Carter, who was named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro. If not for Carter, there’s a decent chance the Eagles aren’t playing this week, as his two sacks and critical forced fumble helped slow the Rams offense.

Daniels wasn’t asked this week specifically about Carter, but he was asked Friday about the Eagles’ front.

“They got a lot of good football players over there, really talented,” Daniels said.

Carter said Friday that the video of his lifting Daniels off the ground has been coming across his feeds “every day,” especially since he and Daniels are meeting again this weekend.

Daniels, Carter said, is “making them boys win.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter and a talented roster save the Eagles against the Rams, give them a shot at the Super Bowl

‘All the intangibles’

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Thursday that, after he was hired at the end of last season, there was a concerted effort to dedicate resources to a quarterback who wasn’t on the roster yet. The Commanders had the second pick and knew they were taking a quarterback, so they built out a coaching staff with that in mind and also made improvements to the interior offensive line, signing center Tyler Biadasz and left guard Nick Allegretti. They brought in a veteran tight end, Zach Ertz, too.

But the interior of the offensive line now is a big question mark as the Commanders are at a severe disadvantage in their efforts to combat Carter on Sunday. Washington’s win over Detroit last weekend came at a cost. Right guard Sam Cosmi tore his ACL during the game and is out until next season. Carter already gave Cosmi some trouble in the earlier matchups, and now Washington’s thin depth along the interior of its offensive line will be tested.

The Commanders finished their game against Detroit with veteran backup tackle Trent Scott manning Cosmi’s spot. He may do so again Sunday, though Quinn said earlier this week that the Commanders were keeping their options open, which Kingsbury reiterated Thursday.

“We have a few guys we feel good about sliding in there,” Kingsbury said.

Carter, Scott said, has “all the intangibles.”

» READ MORE: How the Commanders helped former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz ‘fall back in love with the game again’

“He does a lot of things you don’t see guys do on tape,” Scott said. “You see him shedding blocks, punching at the ball, the way he’s able to get off blocks and react to screens and all types of things of that nature. He doesn’t play the game like a guy of his age, and that’s what makes him one of the best right now.”

Scott’s teammates along the offensive line were less effusive in their praise of Carter.

“Good player, good effort,” right tackle Andrew Wylie said. “You just got to know where your matchups are and just know the game plan. We’ve got a good one in place, and we’re ready to take care of business.”

The center, Biadasz, said Carter was “definitely a standout player for sure. It’ll come down to owning the line of scrimmage, and he’s a part of that.”

Near the end of the first quarter last Sunday, Carter nearly recreated his 2022 hoist of Daniels on Matthew Stafford after sacking him for a loss of 7 yards on a third down near midfield. Carter used two arms to lift Stafford off the ground. It was the first of five sacks on the day for the Eagles; Carter later bookended the set with a sack that sealed the Eagles’ trip to the NFC championship game.

Carter perfectly executed a fake stunt that Rams center Beaux Limmer had no chance of stopping. It’s a move Biadasz said he’s seen before.

“You stay with your man,” he said.

Easier said than done.