How great was it for the Philadelphia Eagles to have rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon back on the practice field?
After missing multiple weeks with a lower-leg injury, Lemon returned in a limited capacity, running routes by himself. He still didn't take part in any team drills or go up against the New England Patriots on Day 2 of their joint practice, but he was there.
It's a good sign that he is heading in the right direction and could still be in line to play in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. Even though everyone can be happy, he still has an uphill battle on his hands.
Makai Lemon is back on the practice field with the Eagles
NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro shared his observations from the Eagles-Patriots second joint practice. Zangaro shared more about Lemon's day at practice and what he did.
"The big news of the day was that rookie receiver Makai Lemon returned to practice. Lemon was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday but didn’t do anything until after that session. On Thursday, he was in full uniform and went through individual drills.
Lemon got hurt on Day 4 of training camp back on Aug. 3. So it’s good to know he’s back after missing a lot of valuable reps."
Philly traded up three spots to get Lemon in the first round, so the pressure is certainly going to be on him to get back to team drills quickly. It would even be nice to see him play in at least one preseason game before the regular season starts, but that might not be in the cards.
That means Lemon will have a lot to catch up on. This Eagles offense has already been thrown into learning offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's scheme, so Lemon being as far behind as he is will only make things worse.
One problem Lemon is facing is that his WR2 or WR3 role may already be gone. Dontayvion Wicks and Darius Cooper have Jalen Hurts' complete trust already, leaving them the logical choices right behind DeVonta Smith on the wide receiver pecking order.
This puts Lemon behind the eight-ball and could be starting the 2026 season potentially rotating in with more time on the bench. The Eagles would probably ease him into games, but he doesn't want to. Nor do the Eagles fans want to see that after all they gave up for him.
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The next three weeks will really show the Eagles fan base and the team how they should feel about Lemon, because right now he needs to build trust with everyone.
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