Eagles' Jalen Carter Ejected Before 1st Snap vs. Cowboys After DT Spit on Dak Prescott

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected six seconds into Thursday night's season opener after appearing to spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty led to the Eagles being assessed a 15-yard penalty on the Cowboys' opening drive.

Carter apologized for his actions after the game:

Referee Shawn Smith discussed the situation during the weather delay, saying the call to eject Carter was made after "one of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent."

"It's a disqualifiable foul in the game. It's a non-football act," Smith told PFWA pool reporter Zach Berman (h/t The Athletic's Jon Machota).

Another angle from the NBC broadcast showed that Prescott appeared to spit toward the ground in front of Carter and the Eagles prior to the incident.

Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote that Carter's action reportedly took place "while Prescott was explaining" his own gesture.

The incident happened while Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren was receiving treatment after suffering an injury on the opening play of the game.

A video from The Athletic's Zach Berman showed Carter being escorted off the field by Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro after his ejection.

Cowboys running back Javonte Williams took advantage of the penalty six plays later by helping cap off the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Carter's early exit marked the quickest ejection from an NFL game since the 2005 season opener between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons, according to Quirky Research.

Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis were ejected from that game about 40 minutes before kickoff after an altercation during pregame warmups, per ESPN.

NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson told reporters last month the league had made cracking down on unsportsmanlike gestures "a point of emphasis to clubs" ahead of the 2025 season.

Carter, the No. 9 pick of the 2023 draft, broke out to become one of the Eagles' top defensive starters during his sophomore Pro Bowl season in 2024.

His absence will be a significant loss on Thursday night given that he played in 831 defensive snaps through 16 games last season while ranking fourth on the Philadelphia defense with 4.5 sacks.