Makai Lemon offers injury update ahead of Eagles training camp

There are few rookies in the NFL who will have as much pressure on them as Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick and wide receiver Makai Lemon.

In the aftermath of the Eagles trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, Lemon could be a prominent part of Philly’s offense right out of the gate.

But Lemon’s NFL career got off to an ominous start during the spring, as the rookie was sidelined for most of the offseason program due to an undisclosed injury.

Lemon participated in rookie minicamp, but missed time during OTAs and did not take part in mandatory minicamp in June.

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The good news is, Lemon says he is “feeling great” and will be “100%” for training camp when it begins on July 29, according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In the meantime, Lemon is working on learning the playbook and fine-tuning fundamentals.

“Just working on my craft, just trying to get the playbook down,” Lemon said. “Just making sure I’m ready so when I go out there, it’s lights out.”

While Lemon wasn’t able to do much in the spring, he was still able to learn a few things from the slew of veterans around him.

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“Just how to take care of your body,” Lemon said. “Just how to attack your preparation. Every little thing that them guys do, I’m watching closely. I feel like I can learn so much from them boys.”

Makai Lemon’s 2026 outlook

Makai Lemon has a golden opportunity to have a major role immediately now that A.J. Brown is in New England, but his path isn’t totally clear.

DeVonta Smith will be Jalen Hurts’ No. 1 option, but who soaks up the most targets behind Smith remains to be seen.

Lemon will be in the mix for that role, along with Dontayvion Wicks and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

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The rookie is primarily a slot receiver, but he isn’t the only one with experience playing in that spot. Brown and Wicks have both played north of 30% of their career snaps in the slot.

That means Lemon will have to beat out one of those two players in training camp if he wants to dominate slot snaps in 2026.

As much as the Eagles would like Lemon to seize the role right away, they are not going to just hand it to him. The USC product has to go out and earn it this summer.