Eagles rookie Jalen Carter misses practice with an ankle injury while veteran Fletcher Cox nears a return

Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter missed Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury, popping up on the injury report after practicing a day earlier.

The first-round pick played 39 snaps in the Eagles’ 23-14 victory against the Rams on Sunday and continued to show promise as an interior rusher, sacking Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford twice, pushing his season total to 3½.

The former Georgia standout and No. 9 overall pick has gotten off to an impressive start, especially at a position that usually takes players longer to adjust. According to Pro Football Focus, Carter has 23 total pressures through five games, which is tied with Aaron Donald for most among all interior defensive linemen.

“He’s had a great first five weeks,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said earlier this week. “We have high hopes for him. ... We know he’s a phenomenal talent based off of what you’ve seen so far, what we’ve seen in practice, what we saw in college, and now it’s his job to just continue to grow.

“We won’t put him in Canton yet. He’s got to just keep going each and every day and getting better, and it’s about consistency,” Sirianni said. “He’s got the ability to do it. He’s just got to be consistent with it, and that’s by working hard and growing each day.”

The Eagles (5-0) started the season with a deep rotation on the interior line but have dealt with injuries the last few weeks. Veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox missed Sunday’s game with a back injury that had led to him undergoing an epidural procedure. Reserve tackle Marlon Tuipulotu has a triceps injury that held him out last week.

With Cox and Tuipulotu sidelined against the Rams, Carter played a season-high 70% of the Eagles’ defensive plays, about 20% higher than he’d been hovering around before injuries impacted the position.

Cox, still the snaps leader among the defensive tackles even after missing a game, is on track to return to the lineup against the New York Jets (2-3) this Sunday. He returned to practice Wednesday and fully participated Thursday.

Tuipulotu returned Thursday to practice as a limited participant.

“I think I took a step forward today,” Cox said. “It’s going to come down to coaches and trainers. I feel like the training staff does a great job of taking care of stuff and being smart with players.”

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Cox, 32, has played at least 16 games in four of the last five seasons. But he said he wasn’t as close to being able to play as he wanted last week after the epidural procedure. .

“There’s no way I was going to go [against the Rams],” Cox said. “At least talking to the doctors, so I kind of prepared myself for it. It’s a little hard to tell me, “No.’ But some situations, I’ve got to be smart with my body. … I’m one of those players where I don’t like missing games.”

Cox stayed behind while the team flew cross-country to Los Angeles, leaving him to watch the broadcast of the game from home.

He said that he got texts from Carter and a few other Eagles staffers and teammates telling him that it was strange not having him around and that Jordan Davis called him on FaceTime before the game.

“Sitting on the edge my seat the whole time,” Cox said. “The guys took care of business, so I was happy for them. I kind of felt bad, but a lot of guys texted me as soon as they got to the stadium just telling me how different it was me not being there.”

Considering the depth the Eagles have at the position, it’s fair to wonder whether Cox will continue playing such a high percentage of the plays post-injury. Cox, the 2012 first-round pick, played 65% of the team’s snaps last year, which was the lowest percentage since his rookie season. This year, he’s up to 70%.

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Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai said last week that some “unique” situations in the team’s Week 3 and Week 4 wins led to Cox’s increased workload. Still, Desai conceded, keeping Cox available was the main priority.

“I think the most important thing is … trying to get him healthy to the game,” Desai said. “As we manage him through the week and that’s really with all the guys, not just Fletch.”

Said Cox: “A couple weeks ago [against Washington], I was up pretty high. Obviously following the overtime, it kind of takes you over. It depends on how the game’s going.

“The coaches do a great job of getting me in and out of the game and getting me in the game if it’s crunch time, and sometimes I’m stubborn,” Cox said. “I don’t want to come off the field if I don’t have to. Especially coming off this back deal, if I do play.”

The Eagles visit the New York Jets at 4:25 p.m. Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from MetLife Stadium.