The Eagles snagged a divisional win against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, shaking off some rust and showing some exciting flashes. But let’s be brutally honest here: the rookies were *not* the reason for optimism, and Makai Lemon’s Week 1 was a straight-up ‘D’ grade disaster. We were all hoping for more, especially after the win, but this performance was tough to watch.
Makai Lemon: A Rough Start, But Was It All On Him?
Look, it was no secret Makai Lemon had a slow start coming into the season. That hamstring injury kept him out of a ton of offseason practice, so a little rust was expected. But *negative five yards* on three catches? That’s just brutal. The guy was targeted four times and literally went backward. It’s not all on him, though. His usage was truly bizarre. Eagles Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion and his crew are clearly still trying to figure out what they have with this receiving group, especially after losing DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Two of Lemon’s catches were on those doomed screen plays, you know, the ones that never work, and the other was a short perimeter target that didn’t go anywhere.
Honestly, if you ask me, Lemon should be living in the slot, eating up those short targets to get him comfortable and rolling. That’s what he’s good at! Despite the ugly stat line, the team obviously wants him out there, giving him 29 receiver snaps, which was the third-most at his position. They see something. Now, they just need to figure out how to actually use it. We’re crossing our fingers the Eagles find some smarter ways to involve Lemon as he gets more comfortable with the playbook. This kid’s got potential, but that was not his day.
Other Rookies and Lingering Concerns
Beyond Lemon’s struggles, there were a few other notes from Week 1. Eli Stowers was a bummer, getting placed on injured reserve. Hope he can figure it out and get back on the field at some point this season. On the bright side, Dallas Goedert looked absolutely awesome out there! Remember when the Eagles drafted him in the second round back in 2018, and then Zach Ertz immediately had the best season of his career? Goedert’s looking like a force right now.
As for the other rookie blockers, Markel Bell and Micah Morris are starting the season as depth players. Bell was active, which is a good sign for him, while Morris was a healthy scratch. But here’s something that caught my eye: Landon Dickerson, a three-time Pro Bowler, looked rough. Like, really rough. It could be just a one-off bad day, but that’s definitely worth monitoring. Luckily, the Eagles have the depth to step in if Dickerson can’t go. And yeah, Cole Payton, the QB4, was predictably inactive, no special teams role to be found for him.
The Eagles got the win, but they’ve got some real work to do, especially with getting their rookies up to speed and utilized correctly. Here’s hoping the coaching staff gets it sorted and we see the real Makai Lemon soon. The season’s just getting started, and there’s a lot to clean up, but the flashes were there for a reason!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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