Eagles’ Vic Fangio, Nick Sirianni reveal who benefits most from Jalen Carter’s dominance

During his Week 14 media session, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked a simple question: who benefits most from Jalen Carter’s absolute dominance on the defensive line?

On paper, an easy enough question with more than a few answers to choose from, as seemingly every player who shares the field with Carter, from the players who play next to him, to the defensive end on the opposite side of the line, all the way to the cornerbacks and safeties deep in the secondary gain an advantage when two offensive linemen have to focus their attention on Carter snap after snap. But for Fangio, his answer was simple: the Eagles.

… what?

Yeah, that wasn’t good enough for the reporters in attendance either, with Fangio getting asked to name a player in particular and finally coughing up the good, noting the fourth-year defensive tackle Milton Williams has been the key benefactor of Carter’s disruption.

“[DT Milton Williams] Milt has benefited some. We all have,” Fangio told reporters. “He’s caused some sacks for other people by applying the early pressure that makes the quarterback move and buys time for somebody else to get there.”

Playing for a new contract in Philadelphia or elsewhere, Williams is off to the best start of his NFL career, having already amassed a career-high five sacks with five games left to play. And the best part of his emergence? Fangio isn’t the only coach who has noticed it, with head coach Nick Sirianni using some of his Wednesday media time to celebrate Williams for taking advantage of his opportunities, too.

Nick Sirianni is also impressed with the Eagles’ fourth-year DT

Discussing the positive impact Carter has had on the Eagles’ defensive line and how Williams has taken advantage of it in 2024, Sirianni celebrated the LA Tech product for making good on his opportunities in both the passing and running game, as his production has played a massive role in the team’s overall success in 2024.

“[DT] Milton [Williams] is a guy that, when we got him here in 2021, we were really excited about him. He’s just continued to get better. He’s been contributing on this football team for the past four years, and he continues to get better. And he is taking advantage of those one-on-one opportunities he’s getting,” Sirianni told reporters.

“There was a play in that game [when] he beat the left guard so fast. He dumped it off to [Ravens RB] Derrick Henry, and he got a good gain off it, but he beat the guy really fast. It was such a good rush. Those types of plays have been showing up. You love his energy, you love his physicality when he makes a play, and how the guys respond to him. So he’s done a nice job. We look for him to continue to grow as a player and take advantage of opportunities that he’s getting.”

Will Williams re-sign with the Eagles in the spring, establishing a long-term one-two punch with Carter and potentially Jordan Davis, who has seemingly fallen out of favor with Fangio? Only time will tell, but wherever he plays next year, it’s clear it will be on a contract worth many times his current deal, with a “Thank you” card hopefully coming the “Baby Rhino’s” way for helping him secure the bag.