Eagles Mailbag: What’s Going On With Makai Lemon?

The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0 but that hasn’t stopped the team from making moves. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has recently made two notable veteran additions. Yet what could be coming next and what’s going on with rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon? I’ll answer those questions and more in my latest Eagles mailbag.

I’ve noticed quite a few Eagles fans that are already panicking about rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon. I understand that Lemon’s stat line is gross through the first two games of the regular season, but it isn’t necessarily his fault. Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is still figuring out how to utilize Lemon, given how much time he missed during training camp and the preseason. As you said, that applies to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as well.

All summer long, we heard about Hurts’ connection with both Dontayvion Wicks and Darius Cooper. Fast forward to Week 2 and we saw Hurts connect with both of those players multiple times for big plays. Hurts connected with Lemon for a 14-yard gain over the middle for a third down conversion early last week. Lemon is playing with great effort and getting open, it’s just going to take time for both Mannion and Hurts to build up their trust in him.

Today’s world seeks instant gratification in literally anything and everything. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see Eagles fans label a player a bust just two weeks into the regular season. You’d think that they would learn their lesson after the career turnarounds of Brandon Graham and Jordan Davis but that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s easy to look back at certain picks and say what a team could’ve done, but that’s just not how this works.

Prior to the start of the regular season, many people (including myself) said that it was going to take time for both Lemon and Eagles rookie tight end Eli Stowers to make an impact. Especially given the time that both players missed in the summer due to injuries. It’s simply way too early to judge players, especially just two games into the regular season. My guess is that a few years from now, Eagles fans will look back at Philadelphia’s haul from the 2026 NFL Draft and be pleased with the team’s return.

I struggled to understand why the Eagles kept four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. While I still don’t agree with the decision, Roseman could end up looking like a genius for doing so. A quick look around the NFL will reveal several teams that are dealing with injuries at the quarterback position. Therefore, it feels like only a matter of time before a desperate team calls the Eagles and checks in on the asking price for Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee.

For example, the New York Giants could be without starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the rest of the season. Jameis Winston is the only healthy quarterback on the Giants’ 53-man roster and Dalton has experience working with two prominent members of New York’s coaching staff. Could we see an in-division trade between the Eagles and the Giants? I’ve learned to never say never.

In regard to Philadelphia’s tight end room, I would honestly be shocked if they didn’t add another player at the position. While Zach Ertz fills a void as the pass catching replacement for Dallas Goedert, the Eagles could still use more help at tight end. In a recent article, I mentioned a few potential options, including former Green Bay Packers tight end John FitzPatrick. He’s a big-bodied blocker that worked with Mannion and Eagles tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey in Green Bay.

Philadelphia’s offensive line has rightfully been one of the most criticized parts of the team through the first two weeks of the regular season. While they’ve certainly struggled, I don’t necessarily think that they’ve been as bad as some people have made them out to be. There are some stats, as you mentioned, that make it appear as though Philadelphia’s offensive line is still a top tier unit. I’m not saying that I agree with that but they are far from the worst offensive line in the NFL.

In my opinion, the run blocking has been more of an issue than the pass blocking. From purely a pass blocking standpoint, the number are solid for Philadelphia’s offensive line. Cam Jurgens and Jordan Mailata have each allowed three total pressures this season, which is tied for the team lead among healthy offensive linemen (Landon Dickerson allowed four). Yet there are 51 offensive lineman that have allowed four of more total pressures this season. Philadelphia’s offensive line has struggled, yet they are still a solid unit that should continue to improve moving forward.

After a strong performance in Week 1, Eagles second-year linebacker Jihaad Campbell had a rough performance against the Tennessee Titans. While he recorded a team-high 10 total tackles, the film didn’t do Campbell any favors. It felt like he was lost on far too many plays, as he made missteps against the run and allowed far too many catches over his head in coverage. Campbell allowed four receptions on four targets for 52 yards in Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus.

It was a concerning showing that exposed the questions that some had about Campbell at the next level. While he possesses all of the size, speed and attributes that you’d like to see in an inside linebacker, he still hasn’t put it all together. If Campbell continues to struggle or doesn’t play with the necessary level of aggression, I could see Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio giving Jeremiah Trotter Jr. a few snaps. It would be similar to what we saw Fangio do with Campbell and Nakobe Dean, when he returned from injury last season.

The biggest surprise is easily Philadelphia’s lack of an efficient running game. If you would’ve told me that the Eagles offense would be struggling through the first two weeks of the regular season, I would’ve definitely thought it was because of the passing game. Meanwhile, Hurts is playing at a very high level and Philadelphia’s running backs have struggled to get anything going in the ground.

The Eagles are averaging 3.9 yards per carry as a team, which currently ranks 18th in the NFL. While that doesn’t seem like the end of the world, it’s really hindered the overall effectiveness of Philadelphia’s offense, especially on early downs. While I don’t expect this to be a season-long problem, it is the biggest surprise through the first two weeks of the regular season, in my opinion.

Congratulations to Ant.Geo.Jovi.1958 for winning this week’s autographed card giveaway due to this question! Anyone that follows me on social media or has tuned into The Philly Special Show on YouTube is likely aware that I’m a fan of collecting sports cards. Therefore, I always love to talk about “the hobby” and anything related to sports card. In this case, there is one card that I’ve always wanted.

Earlier this year at Fanatics Fest, I checked nearly every card vendor’s showcase in search of a 1986 Topps Reggie White rookie card in a grade of PSA 9 or higher. There are currently only 709 copies of White’s rookie card in a PSA 9 and just 45 copies of White’s rookie card in a PSA 10. While he has cards from earlier years from his time in the USFL (which I own), White’s true rookie card in a relatively high grade is something that I’ve always wanted.

This might seem like an obvious answer but my dream job would be to cover the Eagles full-time. Yet the complicating factor of it all is the instability of the sports media world. Unfortunately, reporters and writers are often hired and fired at a frequent rate. There isn’t much stability in the industry and I simply can’t rely on a career as volatile as that one with a wife and two children to provide for. Maybe I’ll reach that point someday and receive an offer with built-in stability, but I’m happy where I am.

There are two different ways to take this question. If we’re talking about my favorite Pokemon of all-time, I’m going with Arcanine. I remember seeing this giant fire dog as a kid and being amazed by it, especially once it appeared on the show. I also remember pulling my first Arcanine card as a child and loving the art on the card as well. Which reminds me, I might need to find a graded copy of that card as well.

But as far as my favorite Pokemon character from the show, I’d have to go with Brock. It was always funny to see him fall in love with basically any female that he encountered throughout the team’s journey. He added a much-needed comedic factor to the show that I enjoyed as a child and now get to watch and enjoy with my own children as well. Plus he also had some cool Pokemon of his own like Steelix, Vulpix, etc.