August 25, 2026

Eagles WR Makai Lemon ready to be 'more professional' to stay healthy, be available

After missing almost three weeks of practice with another hamstring injury, Eagles rookie WR Makai Lemon said he's "learning from my mistakes."

By Geoff Mosher
PhillyVoice Staff

Jimmy Kempski/PhillyVoice

Eagles rookie WR Makai Lemon said he has learned from his mistakes and expects to stay healthier.

The wide receiver picture at Eagles training camp started to take on a familiar look about one week into the summer session.

Trade addition Dontayvion Wicks would alternate with second-year undrafted phenom Darius Cooper and late free-agent signing Elijah Moore, each taking turns becoming Jalen Hurts' most dependable target, each having their camp moments while the actual starters, DeVonta Smith and first-round rookie Makai Lemon, watched from the sideline with hamstring injuries.

Lemon and Smith missed so much time that they had almost become afterthoughts throughout the dog days of late July and early August.

On Monday, though, Lemon and Smith both practiced in full and ran together on the first team for the first time since Aug. 4, and the coaches wasted no time getting them both involved in the 70-minute practice.

Neither really stood out on an afternoon in which the first offense struggled and both teams were in shorts and shells. Smith did catch a nice pass from Hurts off a play action boot, and Lemon caught a couple over the middle for modest gains.

Lemon was still extremely active throughout the practice as the moveable piece in an offense expected to feature a heavy dose of pre-snap motion. He might have actually run more yards horizontally and behind the line of scrimmage than he did vertically.

It appeared as if the coaches were trying to make up for almost three weeks of missed time for the 20th overall pick from USC, who had already missed valuable time in the spring OTAs with a hamstring injury that Lemon confirmed was in the same leg.

Lemon was ready for the workload. He waited plenty of time for it.

"I felt great, it's definitely a blessing every time I'm able to step out onto the field," Lemon told reporters after. "I just never take it for granted, so it does feel great to be back out here with the guys, and getting work in."

For rookies, training camp is about learning first and foremost, but not just learning the playbook but also about how to be a professional, and a big part of being professional is being available and accountable.

Lemon didn't say what he did that led to both hamstring injuries, but he did volunteer that he understands now that he needs to be – in his own words – "more professional, off the field, in all aspects."

Part of being more professional was making sure that while he was sidelined he stayed locked in during practices, observing and taking mental reps to see the game from a different perspective, and to make sure that he hadn't fallen too far behind when he was finally ready to practice.

"Taking the mental reps is just as important as being on the field," he said, "so just making sure I was doing that over and over again so when I step on the field I'm ready to go and there ain't no far gap."

Lemon also stayed behind after practices, working with both Hurts and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to get up to speed on the details of the new scheme and to develop chemistry with his new quarterback the best he could without actually running routes and catching passes.

"Mentally, he's been super engaged," Mannion said. "I don't worry about that one bit with Makai. I know the work he's been putting in. Injuries, unfortunately, they happen in football, but he's been a total pro about his approach to rehab, his approach to the mental side of the game.

"Like I said, the unfortunate nature of football is sometimes you might miss some time, but he's done everything in his power despite not having those physical reps to be ready for us to make an impact."

Eagles starters typically don't play in preseason games, but Lemon could be an exception for Friday's preseason finale against the Bengals if the coaches believe he needs to knock off some rust.

Lemon said he would welcome the playing time, and though he has missed nearly three weeks, Lemon still has two more weeks of practice after this week to be ready for Week 1.

Three weeks of practice isn't much shorter than the entire length of training camp, so it's reasonable to expect that Lemon could be fully integrated into the offense by the time the Eagles take Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 13 to play the Commanders in the season opener.

Lemon said he's "sure" he can be his normal self for Week 1 and is taking necessary steps to avoid any re-injury between now and then, so he can continue to develop chemistry with Hurts and understand his role as an inside-outside receiver in Mannion's offense.

But that starts with learning what not to do, as much as what he's supposed to do. He gets that now.

"I feel pretty confident, just learning from my mistakes from previous times, working with the trainers, setting up a good plan for me," he said. "Just being a good professional off the field, so when things come about I'm ready for everything."