Rookie under scrutiny | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Eagles begin a season of high expectations on Sunday, and so does Jalen Carter, a game-changing rookie defensive tackle. The Birds swooped in and selected Carter with the No. 9 pick in the draft, and many NFL insiders consider him to be the most talented player in this year’s rookie class.

There was a reason Carter slipped down that far in the draft, of course.

Carter’s involvement in a fatal car wreck in January while attending the University of Georgia and the ensuing fallout still linger eight months after a Georgia football player and staffer died in an SUV crash, racing a vehicle driven by Carter.

The criminal charges against Carter were settled in a plea deal, but he still faces two civil lawsuits and the questions that first popped up during the pre-draft process: Will he grow from his mistake, or was it a sign of trouble to come?

EJ Smith traveled to Carter’s hometown of Apopka, Fla., and returned with an insightful profile of the Eagles’ promising rookie. Those who know the 6-foot-3, 314-pound pass rusher best — the ones who raised Carter and coached him — have an unwavering belief in him. They portray a “gentle giant” off the field.

The Eagles’ brain trust met the night before the draft and signed off on selecting Carter after an extensive investigation into the crash and the player.

“We spent a lot of time investigating the incident around it,” general manager Howie Roseman said. “... Nobody is hiding from the fact that a tragic event happened, and we’ll do our very best to make sure that ... these players develop every skill set they need to be.”

On Sunday, we’ll start to get a glimpse of Carter’s vaunted skill set in games that matter.

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Eagles visit the New England Patriots in the season opener. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Foxborough, Mass.

The Eagles have been a part of some memorable season openers in their history. Could this be one as well with Jalen Hurts making a statement on Tom Brady’s day as Bill Belichick roams the sideline, trying to stop the Eagles offense? We’ll get to see roles carved out among the running backs. Rookies will make their much-anticipated debuts.

Our beat writers have made their predictions, and it’s looking good for the Eagles. A Week 1 win wouldn’t mean they go on to win the Super Bowl, as only one writer is predicting that. But if the Eagles don’t show rust after most of the starters didn’t play in the preseason, there’s going to be plenty of buzz surrounding this team early on.

Next: The Eagles visit the New England Patriots in their season opener Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS3).

Phillies reliever Seranthony Domínguez is a perfectionist. He could tell something was off a few weeks ago. It felt like he was rushing. With the help of pitching coach Caleb Cotham, Dominguez made a change to his setup that has helped the hard-throwing reliever look more like himself of late. And it comes at a time when the bullpen is looking as volatile as ever.

Next: The Phillies return home for a weekend series against Miami at 7:05 p.m. Friday (NBCSP). Cristopher Sánchez (2-3, 3.48 ERA) will start against Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (5-4, 2.86).

How James Harden decides to approach the 76ers’ 2023-24 season is anyone’s guess. Because of that uncertainty — and a few recent roster additions — The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell took a deeper look at what the Sixers might look like — with or without Harden in the lineup. Spoiler alert: After a summer of turmoil and a dormant free agency, they don’t look quite as good.

Morgan Frost has shown flashes of his skill since being drafted No. 27 overall in 2017. The problem is they have been just that: flashes.

That changed halfway through last season, when Frost started to find consistency at the NHL level for the first time. The results were two separate point barrages and a career season for the 24-year-old. But has Frost truly turned the corner or was it another flash in the pan?

Giana Han looks at Frost’s new two-year bridge deal and how it buys the Flyers more time to evaluate whether the young center should be part of the team’s long-term future.

After the United States women’s national team’s disappointing World Cup exit, several of the program’s veteran players announced their retirements. One of those was Julie Ertz, a linchpin of two World Cup-winning USWNT teams.

On Thursday, U.S. Soccer announced that Ertz is not quite done yet, and she will play one final game on Sept. 21 against South Africa before hanging up her cleats. Ertz, who spent years living in Philly with her husband, former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, still is an active member of the community when it comes to giving.

We asked you: Who is the biggest Eagles villain in your mind and why? Among your responses:

No doubt, it is not one individual but an organization known as the Dallas Cowboys. From the beginning when cheap shot artist Lee Roy Jordan broke Timmy Brown’s jaw, Tom Landry rolling up scores while trying to impersonate good sportsmanship, Jimmy Johnson and his “How ‘bout them Cowboys,” the five Super Bowls, Michael Irvin rubbing it in our noses when he scored a TD (he later was paid back in Philly), Drew Pearson bragging about himself to Eagles fans at the draft, and their obnoxious fans (I know, I have been to Eagle games in Dallas) who are only around when they win, self-proclaiming that their team is “America’s Team.” Definitely, that star on the helmet has been and always will be the villain to the Eagles and their loyal fans. — Skip B.

My all-time Eagle villains are owner Jerry Wolman and his stupid hiring of Joe Kuharich as coach. The Eagles under Wolman who I think knew zero about professional football were 30-51-3. Then he hired a coach who was the only losing coach in Notre Dame history with a record of 17-23 to coach the Eagles. Kuharich’s record with the Eagles was a dismal 28-41-1. Back then my company had season tickets at Franklin Field and unfortunately got to see some of those games and well remember that loud chant from the stands, “Joe Must Go.” — Everett S.

Within the organization — Jonathan Gannon. Outside the organization — Jerry Jones. — Denise G.

Short and sweet, has been, and always will be, Bill Belichick. Cheater extraordinaire. — Jan D.

You would have to start the conversation with the Dallas Cowboys and that player would need to be Micah Parsons. He was a favorite Penn State player of mine and it KILLED ME when the Cowboys drafted him. Unfortunately he has drank the Dallas Kool-Aid and takes it upon himself to run his mouth about all things Eagles, especially his unwarranted comments regarding Jalen Hurts last season. Micah Parsons, to me, has gone from love to HATE … he’s my biggest Eagles villain! — Jim V.

Season 2 preview: The 2023 NFL season is almost here, and the Eagles have a huge question to answer: Can they not only get back to the Super Bowl, but this time win it? In Season 2 of unCovering the Birds, Jeff McLane will be following the Birds in real time, taking you behind the scenes to pull back the curtain on what makes the team click … or not. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, David Murphy, Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Josh Tolentino, Jeff McLane, Gustav Elvin, Giana Han, Gina Mizell, and Aaron Carter.