10 Eagles before Carter who got off to hot starts to their career
10 Eagles before Carter who got off to hot starts to their career originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jalen Carter’s five-game start has been one of the most dazzling starts by a rookie in Eagles history.
Carter is out for the Eagles’ game against the Jets Sunday, but he’ll be back soon, and his performance so far recalls hot starts by several other Eagles – some who went on to great careers, some who didn’t.
Here’s a look at 10 other Eagles over the years who made an immediate impact in their first five NFL games:
Corey Simon: Carter has 3 ½ sacks in his first five games, but 23 years ago another Eagles 1st-round rookie interior lineman had more. Corey Simon had four sacks in his first five games, which remains the 3rd-most ever by a defensive tackle in his first five career games behind Santana Dotson of the Bucs (6.0 in 1992) and Chris Jones of the Patriots (5.0 in 2013). Simon went on to set an Eagles rookie record of 9 ½ in 2000 and had 32 sacks in his five seasons with the Eagles.
Charlie Garner: Charlie Garner didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 4 of the 1994 season, thanks to a rib injury he suffered early in training camp, but once he got on the field he was electrifying. Garner rushed for 111 yards in the Eagles’ 40-8 win over the eventual Super Bowl-champion 49ers at Candlestick Park and 122 yards a week later in a win over Washington at the Vet. His 233 yards are 7th-most in NFL history by a player in his first two games, and his 352 yards in his first five games are most in franchise history. Garner had nearly 3,000 scrimmage yards in five years with the Eagles but had his best seasons with the 49ers and his 3,553 scrimmage yards in 1999 and 2000 were 4th-most in the NFL.
Nate Allen: In 2010, Eagles rookie safety Nate Allen intercepted Aaron Rodgers in his first NFL game and Shaun Hill in his second game, sacked David Garrard in his third game and then intercepted Donovan McNabb in his fourth game. The Eagles drafted Allen in the second round in 2010 with a pick they acquired from Washington in the McNabb trade. He’s one of only five players in history with three INTs and a sack in his first five career games and the only Eagle with three INTs in his first five games. Allen played eight seasons and only had 10 more interceptions and three more sacks.
DeSean Jackson: Like Garner, Jackson opened his career with back-to-back 100-yard games – 106 yards in the 2008 opener vs. the Rams and then 110 in Dallas a week later. He remains one of only three players in history with 100 receiving yards in his first two games. Will Fuller did it in 2016 for the Texans and Puka Nacua of the Rams last month. Jackson’s 335 yards through five games are still the most ever by an Eagle. Jackson hasn’t formally retired, but in 15 NFL seasons he had over 11,000 receiving yards, a 17.6 average, 66 TDs and the most TDs of 60 or more yards in NFL history.
Carson Wentz: I know, I know. But he really was that good right out of the gate. Wentz threw a 19-yard TD to Jordan Matthews on his fifth career pass and through five games had seven TD passes, one INT, a 65 percent completion percentage, 1,186 yards and a 99.9 passer rating – 8th-highest in history by a rookie quarterback after five career starts. Wentz was 18-11 in his first two NFL seasons and 28-34 from 2018 through 2022. He’s currently out of the league.
Keith Jackson: In his first five games as a rookie in 1988, the Eagles’ 1st-round draft pick caught 29 passes – most in NFL history by a tight end in his first five games – three more than Jordan Reed and four more than current Lions rookie Sam LaPorta. Jackson’s 29 receptions are the most ever by an Eagle in his first five games – four more than DeVonta Smith. Jackson is the Eagles’ last position player to make a Pro Bowl as a rookie. Jackson caught 81 passes as a rookie – still the most ever by a rookie tight end – and made three straight 1st-team all-pro teams and Pro Bowls in four years with the Eagles before successfully challenging the NFL’s free agency system and finishing his career with the Dolphins and Packers.
Mike Hogan: The Eagles’ 9th-round pick in 1976 only played 41 games for the Eagles, but he got off to quite a start, with 320 rushing yards in his first five games – second to Garner in Eagles history. Hogan had 93 yards in a win over the Giants in his second career game and 100 yards a week later in a loss to Washington. He only had three more games the rest of his career with over 90 yards.
Bobby Hoying: Oh yeah, we can’t forget Bobby. Hoying’s numbers in his first five career games (not all starts): Seven TDs, one INT, a 98.4 passer rating. He’s one of only six quarterbacks in history with seven or more passing TDs and one or fewer interceptions in his first five career games (along with Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud, Gardner Minshew, Kyle Allen and Wentz). Hoying is one of 10 QBs to throw for at least 240 yards in each of his first three starts, and one of 10 also with a 300-yard, four-TD game within his first three career starts. After his first five career games, Hoying had 11 TDs and 15 INTs and a 64.3 passer rating and went 1-7.
A.J. Feeley: With Donovan McNabb and Ty Detmer both hurt in 2002, the Eagles turned to 2nd-year 5th-round pick A.J. Feeley, who won his first four starts to get the Eagles into the playoffs. Feeley is the only Eagles quarterback to win his first four career starts and one of only six QBs in NFL history drafted in the fifth round or later to win his first four starts, a group that also includes Brock Purdy. Feeley’s 88.9 passer rating is 7th-highest in history by a quarterback drafted in the fifth round or later in his first five career games.
Bibbles Bawel: His real name is Edward Raymond Bawel, but the Eagles’ undrafted rookie safety out of Evansville in 1952 went by Bibbles. In his first five career games, Bawel had five interceptions and a punt return TD. He only played in 36 NFL games, all for the Eagles, but he had 18 interceptions and two TD returns. He’s one of only five Eagles with an interception return TD and punt return TD in his entire career (along with Frank Reagan and Pat McHugh) and he had them in his first five career games.
