The Eagles sweated it out and still managed to knock off the Tennessee Titans in scorching Nashville, but it took a heroic Jalen Hurts drive to seal the deal on September 20. While the overall rookie contribution was definitely small in that game, what we saw from a couple of these new guys has got everyone talking about what’s coming next for the season.
Lemon’s Rollercoaster Start Has Fans Talking
Makai Lemon, man, what a ride this dude is on! His usage is getting kinda wild for an early season player. In Week 1, those screen and shuffle passes netted him a brutal negative five receiving yards. You’d think they’d learn from that, right? Nope. Against the Titans, they hit him with *another* shuffle pass that actually lost five more yards. At least it got counted as a rush attempt this time, so his receiving stats didn’t take another hit! But listen, amidst all that, there was a real moment in this game: Lemon finally got his first quality target and pulled down a sweet 14-yard catch! He broke hard on his route, Jalen Hurts dropped it right into the middle of the field, and Lemon snatched it with defensive bodies all around him. That’s the kind of play the Eagles absolutely NEED from him, especially working out of that slot. We gotta hope his usage keeps climbing as Hurts looks to the middle of the field more and more. It definitely wasn’t a stat sheet explosion, that’s for sure, but that glimmer of hope from Lemon in this one was real and important for his development. Oh, and huge shoutout to Lemon for absolutely HOOFING it downfield to help tackle Amani Hooker and kill what could have easily been a pick-six. That’s a heads-up play, rook, and something you love to see! Despite that clutch effort and the nice catch, a C- grade for the game tells you it’s still a pretty mixed bag right now.
Struggles and The Tight End Problem
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the 2026 class, though, and some of these early season performances are definitely cause for concern. Cam Jurgens, for instance, had a seriously rough go at guard in this game. Ouch, that’s a tough look when you’re trying to establish yourself. Meanwhile, Drew Kendall actually looked solid at center, which is a good sign for depth. But if Jurgens keeps playing like this, the Eagles might honestly have to think about benching him later in the season if his bad play persists. That would be a pretty tough blow for a young player, but it could open the door for Micah Morris to move up that depth chart behind Willie Lampkin. And don’t even get me started on the tight end situation, because that’s a whole other mess. The Dallas Goedert injury absolutely sucks and leaves a huge hole. Even with the Zach Ertz signing to help out, that tight end group just looks rough right now, no two ways about it. Eli Stowers needs to get healthy and contribute at some point, even a little bit, but he can’t even get back on the active roster until Week 5 at the earliest. That’s a huge hurdle when the team needs help NOW.
What’s Next for These Early Season Rookies?
So, what’s next for these guys as the season rolls on? We’ve absolutely gotta see Lemon’s target share keep growing, especially in the middle of the field, because he’s shown he can make those crucial plays. Jurgens, though, has gotta clean up his act fast if he wants to stay in that starting lineup. This is early season stuff, but these kinds of performances and trends can absolutely stick, defining a rookie year. You gotta hope Stowers can get back and add something, anything, to that tight end room to give them a boost. The season is just getting started, and these rookies have a whole lot to prove in the weeks to come.
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.
Leave a Reply