Even before stepping onto the practice field for training camp last week, two of the NFL’s premier defensive linemen stood on business.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles reaffirmed their commitment to dominance along both lines of scrimmage by making a commitment to Jalen Carter that makes the former first-round pick the highest-paid player at the position in the history of the NFL.

Meanwhile, Vita Vea took a look around at the landscape of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, perhaps glancing at the front office’s reluctance to pay quarterback Baker Mayfield, perhaps at an NFC South that is nipping at the organization’s heels, or perhaps merely wanting a fresh start, before requesting a trade.

We delve into Carter’s impact on the Eagles’ defense, how a trade for Vea could shape the Super Bowl race, and much more inside this week’s column.

General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles’ core value of winning along the line of scrimmage is reinforced by the pair of Lombardi Trophies, won in three Super Bowl appearances over the past decade.

Actions, though, speak louder than words, so a four-year contract extension that will pay Jalen Carter as much as $160 million, after previously committing $78 million to defensive tackle and fellow Eagles homegrown talent Jordan Davis may as well be the final chords of “Fly Eagles Fly” reverberating inside Lincoln Financial Field and echoing throughout South Philadelphia.

Carter, just 25, has produced 108 total tackles, 13.5 sacks, 37 quarterback hits, and 25 tackles for loss, solidifying his reputation as one of the most disruptive interior defenders in opposing backfields anywhere in the league.

If Vic Fangio were a Michelin Star winning chef, Carter is his Santoku, equally dominant at slicing through the gap as he is holding down or fighting off double teams to free up the likes of Davis, Zack Baun, or Nolan Smith to feast.

“He disrupts the game, he’s smart, and he plays hard,” Fangio said of Carter to the Eagles website. “There aren’t many like him out there and I’m glad he’s on our side.”

During his first two seasons in 2023 and 2024, Carter played a vital role in the Eagles holding opponents under 100 rushing yards in eight games apiece.

In so many ways, Carter is the tone-setter for the rest of the Eagles’ defense, and the embodiment of the franchise’s strategy of identifying, drafting, and retaining elite players along the line of scrimmage while building from the inside out.

“From a talent standpoint, I think he’s elite,” an AFC Personnel Executive tells Between The Hashmarks, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “The money doesn’t shock me from a pure talent standpoint.

“Jalen is one of the best defensive tackles in football, and in terms of the next evolution of his game, I think studying him that there’s still another higher level he can reach. With more consistency from a technique and understanding of the game standpoint, he’ll take his game even higher.”

Carter’s extension follows Davis’, center Cam Jurgens’ extension last spring, and a three-year contract extension signed by All-Pro tackle Jordan Mailata back in 2024.

With Carter now holding the mantle as the highest-paid defensive tackle, he joins Mailata, who attained that benchmark with Jurgens becoming the second-highest-paid center at the time he signed his deal and guard Landon Dickerson sitting third at his position.

All told, between Carter, Davis, Mailata, Jurgens, and All-Pro Lane Johnson, and Dickerson the Eagles have committed $521 million to winning along the line of scrimmage.

Philadelphia’s commitment to Carter puts to rest an offseason’s worth of hand-wringing among the fanbase and speculation after Davis’ extension that the Eagles could move on from the former No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, while also serving as an endorsement that he’s about to put an inconsistent and injury-riddled 2025 campaign far in the rearview.

If he does, Carter has the potential to not just anchor the Eagles’ defense over the next half-decade, but be the player who makes it one of the most feared in the league.

Get in, and buckle up, because we’re hitting the road, and want to take you along on our second annual training camp tour!

We just might have bitten off more than we can chew this time around …

Here are the confirmed stops on this year’s itinerary:

Two camps in two days, logging 861 miles, is a grind.

Throw in a potential Tour Kickoff in Rochester, NY to check in on the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, August 6, and I think that my good pal and podcast partner Mike Tanier summed it up best with this post on BlueSky:

“Follow Matt. He's embarking on a training camp tour next week that makes The Odyssey sound like a trip to 7-Eleven for a Big Gulp. You can cheer him along!”

Yup, that’s about right.

In all seriousness, I’m legitimately stoked for this.

Training Camp is my favorite portion of the NFL calendar, I used to love the daily grind of being on the practice fields and at the facility every day watching practice, reporting on the players surging up the depth chart, getting a glimpse of how the offenses and defenses are coming together, all of it.

As quickly after practice as I can reasonably turn it around, I’ll be publishing a Post Card from Camp from each of our spots, highlighting the plays of the day, standout rookie, notable quote, etc., as well as recording a brief podcast recap of everything that went down throughout the afternoon.

Then, next Monday’s 4 Downs column will be a Paid Subscriber Exclusive, and we’ll feature four in-depth features and deeply reported storylines from each camp.

I can’t wait, seriously.

It is your support of this project, and my work, that allows me to make trips like this every year, and I greatly and deeply appreciate everyone who reads, listens, subscribes, and follows along.

Also, please send along any and all food, brewery, and coffee recommendations you might have for Latrobe, Rochester, or Owings Mills. I’m all ears, and will be ,!

This is also a great time, if you haven’t already, to become a Between The Hashmarks MVP as a paid premium subscriber, so you don’t miss out on any content in the weeks ahead!

If you’d like to chip in for gas, or buy me a coffee on the road, you can do so by clicking here!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, I’ll be chatting with you from the road!

Call it the Jalen Carter effect.

Or, maybe it was sparked by stalled contract negotiations amid what is seemingly quickly becoming an uncertain trajectory of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but All-Pro defensive tackle Vita Vea officially requested a trade within hours of the Eagles’ star putting pen to paper on his new deal.

Wednesday, Vea suffered a back injury that could force him to miss practice time, which could telegraph a hold-in could be on the horizon.

Vea, 31, remains an elite talent, a dominant run-stuffing presence, and finished last season as the No. 20-ranked defensive tackle in the sport, according to Pro Football Focus.