Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during a preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 17, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
When asked about the game on Thursday, Carter used the opportunity to disparage the Niners unit he’ll be competing against most directly.
“They got a lot of weapons out there on the outside but I’m on the inside, I’m in the trenches, I ain’t heard nothing about the o-line,” said Carter.
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The No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft, Carter has earned the right to be cocky. With four sacks, two forced fumbles and 23 tackles, Carter is the heavy favorite to take home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors this season.
Carter was selected by Philadelphia despite the fact he was criminally charged for his involvement in an auto accident that led to the death of a University of Georgia staff member.
And while his most recent comments are sure to rub Niners fans the wrong way (even though there’s little to no chatter about offensive lines in general from national talking heads), it’s true San Francisco’s offensive line has been fairly pedestrian this season. According to ESPN, the unit is smack dab in the middle of the league for block efficiency, ranking 16th in Pass Block Win Rate and 17th in Run Block Win Rate.
And that’s despite boasting Trent Williams, a likely future hall of famer. ESPN ranks Williams third among all players in pass blocking efficiency, even though he’s double-teamed on nearly 40% of plays.
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Williams’ impact is glaringly obvious. San Francisco has gone 9-1 in games he’s started but lost the two games he missed with an ankle injury.
How well Williams and the rest of San Francisco’s offensive line perform on Sunday will go a long way in determining whether Carter remembers them in the future.