New Dontayvion Wicks injury has Makai Lemon solution Eagles hope occur in Week 5

It feels like every day this week has brought more bad news from the Philadelphia Eagles, and the injury list keeps piling up.

On Thursday's injury report, the Eagles added a new name to the list, and it only makes things worse: wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks. In practice, Wicks apparently suffered a hamstring injury, which limited him during the workout.

This couldn't have come at a worse time for the Eagles, with DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Hollywood Brown (ankle) also dealing with injuries and most likely missing more time. It's becoming increasingly clear that rookie Makai Lemon will have to step up in the Eagles' Week 5 showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Makai Lemon has no choice but to step up for Eagles after Dontayvion Wicks' injury

No one has confirmed yet whether Wicks will miss the game. Even if the Eagles have Wicks, he won't be 100% healthy for that game, so they'll need Lemon.

At the start of the season, Lemon wasn't making much impact for this team. He managed to have -5 yards in his NFL debut against the Washington Commanders in Week 1. That was a poor first impression on the Eagles fan base.

Things have technically gotten better over the last three weeks, but the Eagles still aren't getting much from their rookie. Lemon has caught 10 passes for 65 yards and has -5 yards on one carry.

Pro Football Focus gave Lemon an overall grade of 59.7, ranking him 69th among 85 eligible NFL wide receivers. He also got a receiving grade of 58.6 (ranked 73rd).

The biggest problem with Lemon early in the season was that Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion fixated on making the bubble screens work with him because of his quick feet and elusiveness. Even in the preseason, Mannion tried to make it work with Lemon, but that has only resulted in negative yards.

In recent weeks, Eagles fans have seen Lemon's potential when he goes downfield on vertical routes, and the results. He won't be a serious threat, but he can be a reliable slot receiver and pick up 10- to 15-yard completions on slant or drag routes if called.

Mannion hasn't used Lemon's quick feet and elusiveness effectively yet. The USC rookie is a great route runner who can create separation from defenders. According to Next Gen Stats via The Score's Brenden Deeg, Lemon entered the Week 4 Los Angeles Rams game 17th in the NFL in average yards of separation, with 3.8.

Lemon shows signs that he can be a great wide receiver, but the Eagles have to use him right. The absence of Wicks could force a new strategy for using Lemon in this offense.

The Eagles could face a situation where Darius Cooper, Lemon, and Elijah Moore start at receiver. Moore would be more of a screen guy, and Lemon could be tested more as a short-to-intermediate route guy who runs more digs, crossers, and slants. Cooper becomes the Wicks-type receiver who can go downfield and use his size and hand strength to make tough catches.

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Philly has been more than patient with how they've used Lemon in this offense, but with Wicks hurt and potentially out, Mannion has to force the rookie to do it right. Eagles fans might finally see the true potential in the first-round pick and get the production we have been waiting for. If not, that could raise much bigger questions and bring a certain "B" word into the conversation about the young receiver (spoiler: it's "bust").

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