Eagles rookie Makai Lemon ‘glad’ his rough NFL debut happened in the preseason and not September
Lemon ended up with a few touches against the Bengals but did not have a scintillating preseason debut.
On the first play from scrimmage Friday night, Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee faked a handoff and rolled right. His eyes found rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon in the flat, and McKee hit the wide receiver for a modest three-yard gain.
Lemon, who missed nearly three weeks with a hamstring injury and saw his first preseason action during the team’s 30-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, caught three passes Friday night for a grand total of three yards. He was targeted five times. On one of the misses, Bengals corner Tacario Davis provided tight coverage on a sideline route. On the other, McKee fired a short pass toward Lemon on a third-and-7 from the Bengals’ 27-yard line — a rare series Friday night where the Eagles could have scored a touchdown — only to have the ball hit his hands and deflect into the waiting hands of Davis.
McKee said he could have put that throw in a better spot, but Lemon took ownership of the turnover.
“It’s a drop,” he said after the game. “It hit my hands. It went through my hands. I got to catch them.
“Dropping the ball like that — glad it happened in the preseason so come around September things like that won’t happen.”
Lemon’s NFL debut, while in a meaningless game, did not go as planned, and the 20th overall pick has not had an ideal summer in the lead-up to his first NFL season. He missed time during the offseason program with a hamstring injury on the same leg that sidelined him this month.
The Eagles have been installing a new offense under a first-year coordinator in Sean Mannion. They are moving on to life without A.J. Brown. But Lemon and DeVonta Smith missed significant time during training camp with hamstring injuries, and Lemon has had limited time to work extensively with Jalen Hurts.
While the Eagles rested the vast majority of their projected starters, Nick Sirianni said the team dressed and played Lemon because he hadn’t played in the preseason yet and, as a rookie, Sirianni felt like he needed reps during the exhibition schedule.
“Few opportunities, but we’ll look at it,” Sirianni said. “There’s gonna be ups and downs for every player. There’s gonna be good plays, bad plays. Obviously, he’s going to want that catch back on third down, to be able to hang onto that, not cause a turnover that basically led to points. We’ve seen some good things throughout his practices where we’re feeling good about his development. He’s got to continue to develop. Young player that we know we’re going to be able to count on this year.”
Lemon played the entire first half and did not take a snap on offense during the second half. He did, however, field a punt late in the third quarter. That, too, wasn’t perfect. Cincinnati’s punter, Ryan Rehkow, did not hit the ball well. It fluttered toward Lemon, who had to come forward before letting the ball bounce. The ball caromed awkwardly between Lemon’s legs. The receiver picked up the ball and quickly was tackled.
“Punts aren’t always going to be right to you,” Lemon said. “I just got to make sure I stay on my task, stay ready so when things like that happen in the game, when they do come about, I’m ready.”
It’s unclear if Lemon will be relied on to return punts during the regular season, though he said he would be willing if called upon. He returned just six total punts in college, all during the 2025 season.
How the Eagles use Lemon come Week 1 remains to be seen. The rookie used his time away from practice to focus on mental reps, but after sitting out the joint practices in New England, Friday offered his first chance at real reps against another opponent.
“I’m really hard on myself; I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “When things like that do come about I just got to forget about it and move on.”
Asked if he was prepared for Sept. 13, when the Eagles host Washington, Lemon said he feels ready, “but we still got some time,” he said.
“I got to make sure I lock in each week.”
The Eagles’ first-stringers get little to no action in exhibition games, annual joint practices with other teams become one of the few opportunities for starters to get preseason reps of consequence. This year, the Eagles traveled to New England for two days of live workouts with the Patriots. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard recap what they saw, and explain why, even after the joint practices, the Eagles still haven’t shown much of an identity. Listen here.
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