Eagles Get Slightly Worrying Outlook on Makai Lemon After Rough Preseason Debut

The Philadelphia Eagles knew they were going to need to replace A.J. Brown this offseason, as his trade to the New England Patriots was all but set in stone.

To make up for the loss of Brown, the Eagles traded for Dontayvion Wicks, signed Hollywood Brown, and, most importantly, drafted Makai Lemon in the first round. He joined the roster with the intention of being the team's No. 2 WR.

However, as Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic highlighted, Lemon is in a wait-and-see mode right now after a rough preseason and a lengthy injury absence this summer. His current status is a bit worrying, as things haven't gone well thus far.

"Lemon missed three weeks with a hamstring injury early in camp and hasn't gotten up to speed yet, as evidenced by a pass bouncing off his hands for an interception in his Week 3 preseason debut," Baumgardner writes. "He has physical limitations that'll make working outside in the NFL more challenging than he's used to."

This analysis on Lemon isn't exactly the kind of one that Eagles fans will like to hear. Lemon was the Eagles' first-round pick in 2026, but he's not looked the part at all yet.

Not only has Lemon missed a lot of time due to a hamstring issue, which is obviously concerning, but he's also not looked good when he has been on the field.

During his preseason debut, he caught three passes for three yards, failed to get separation on multiple routes, and even dropped a pass that led to an interception.

He even saw one special teams rep and nearly fumbled the football on a punt return attempt after failing to field it cleanly off the bounce.

It's hard to find many positives from the preseason and training camp for Lemon, especially considering his status as a first-round pick.

Eagles fans shouldn't panic, as it's still way too soon to call Lemon a bust. But the former USC wide receiver is someone who is worth worrying about.

The combination of injury and struggles this August, plus some of the inherent limitations of Lemon's game entering the NFL, makes for the status of the Eagles' new first-round receiver a bit questionable.

There's still a decent chance he is just fine, and this rough end to the 2026 preseason for Lemon was just him shaking off the rust from missing a lot of time due to injury.

For Eagles fans, there's not going to be a more important player to watch this upcoming season than Lemon.

If he can shake off a rough preseason and meet the potential he showed during his final season at USC, when he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, the Eagles could have a superstar on their hands.