Eagles News: Makai Lemon talks about being “more professional off the field”

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Eagles rookie Makai Lemon embraces ‘professional’ mindset in injury return - The Athletic

Makai Lemon said he felt a familiar pain. Yes, in his hamstring. Yes, the same hamstring that sidelined him for half of the Philadelphia Eagles’ OTAs. It was a “little tweak,” the rookie wide receiver said, which flared when he attempted to burst, just four days into training camp. The injury caused him to miss two weeks of practices, two preseason games and the competitive parts of two joint practices with the New England Patriots. The repeat injury carried all the frustrating elements of a “here we go again” situation. “It was definitely tough,” Lemon said. “I’m real competitive. Ain’t never want to be away from this game. So, me knowing that it’s the hamstring again, I’m just making sure I take the right precautions. (I’m) learning from it so it doesn’t happen again.” Lemon, who returned to full participation in Monday’s practice, further defined his lesson as “making sure I’m more professional off the field.” He works with the team’s trainers. He adheres to the recovery plan they created for him. He makes sure to warm up properly before taking the field.

11 notes from today’s Eagles training camp practice - BGN

MAKAI LEMON UPDATE: Lemon was notably working with the starting offense during his first day back. His first target resulted in an incompletion. From my angle, it looked like it may have been a drop. Others thought the throw from Hurts wasn’t on the money and/or timing may have been an issue. Later on, Lemon was utilized on a screen pass. He was also used in pre-snap motion a decent amount.

Makai Lemon: “For sure” I’ll be up to speed for Week 1 - PFT

Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon returned to practice last week after an extended absence due to a hamstring injury and the rookie is confident that he’ll have enough practice time to be at full speed for the season opener. Lemon said “for sure” to a question about whether there’s enough time for him to feel like himself for the Eagles’ matchup with the Commanders and said all of the mental reps he took while off the field have served to prepare him for the task at hand. The first-round pick’s process will include as much time with quarterback Jalen Hurts as he can get. “Each and every day I feel like that chemistry and that work never stops,” Lemon said. “Each and every day after practice, just talking to him whenever I can. I feel like anytime I can build that chemistry, it’s good.”

Eagles 2026 training camp practice notes, Day 15: DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon return - PhillyVoice

The Eagles finally showed a look with a fullback today, and it was… (drumroll)… Dallas Goedert. He looked less than enthused to be a lead blocker, and gave Zack Baun sort of a “We’re both vets, let’s not be heroes” kind of a block.

PS Game Review – NE 24, PHI 21 - Iggles Blitz

Gabe Hall had a strong showing. I said last week that he needed to be more physical. Hall did just that. He was able to shed blocks and stuff the RB multiple times. He still showed athleticism, shooting gaps and getting upfield. He drew a holding call. Rookie Zion Wilson started at NT and played a lot. Wilson is at his best when being stout as a run defender. He had a tackle. He also had a good QB pressure when NE forgot to block him. Uar Bernard took a big step forward from last week’s debut. He started slowly and got better as the game went along. He was able to get off blocks and to get to the ball. Bernard made 2 tackles. The light started to come on for him. You can see him figuring things out within the game.

Albert Breer Empties His Eagles Notebook From Training Camp - SI

The biggest story in Philly’s camp is what the post-A.J. Brown offense looks like and, more specifically, how quarterback Jalen Hurts looks in it. Let’s start with this: It sounds as if Hurts has a good level of self-awareness of the perception around how the past couple years have gone and seems to be subtly working to fix it, given how intentional he has been about helping to build up relationships in the locker room. And I’ve heard that team-wide, too. It’s a huge part of Nick Sirianni’s belief system anyway, but it does seem as if there’s a concerted effort to create a tighter unit, which shows up on trips like this. For example, the Eagles ran the ball effectively against the Patriots on Wednesday. The Patriots responded Thursday with some borderline shots at Saquon Barkley, and a bunch of guys came to his defense in the moment. So that part of it for Hurts and the Eagles seems to be in a good place. As for the football piece, with new OC Sean Mannion aboard, the Eagles will be under center more and will focus on reviving the run game, which should make things easier on Hurts and the skill guys around him. The flip side: It’s a scheme that demands precision, which will challenge Hurts in different ways.

Riq Woolen feels like ‘a rookie again’ with the Eagles. His prove-it year is big for him and the Birds. - Inquirer

Moments like his plays during Thursday’s joint practice session in New England help the fitting-in part. First, Woolen jumped an A.J. Brown out route near the goal line and picked off Drake Maye for a 100-yard pick-six. Later, he again had tight coverage on Brown and forced the ball free into the air, allowing Jalyx Hunt to make a diving interception. That Woolen’s big day came on the heels of one of his worst days of camp Wednesday was a good sign for him and the Eagles. Woolen may feel like a rookie now, but he is wise enough at 27 to know that a short memory is crucial to playing cornerback in the NFL. The younger version of himself didn’t know how to handle it, he said Monday. “That’s just part of the game and it’s part of being a DB as well,” Woolen said. “One thing may [not] go your way, but you got to be able to rebound and be able to keep playing plays and keep making plays because that’s what the coaches and team expect.”

After some dark days, Marcus Epps on verge of becoming a starter again - NBCSP

“It would mean everything to me,” Epps said. “I worked real hard to get back to where I’m at. It was a lot of dark days but I still got work to do. I haven’t arrived by any means. It’s a long season and we’re still here just in camp. That’s where my focus is, finishing out camp the right way and continuing to get better.” Epps is 30 now and if he does get named the starter at safety, he’d actually be the Eagles’ oldest starting defensive player this season. It’s clear that Epps brings some stability to the back end of what could be one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2026. After Mukuba got hurt in November last season, Epps filled in admirably next to Reed Blankenship. And after Blankenship left for Houston in free agency, Epps has been getting the first crack at his old job next to Mukuba in the Eagles’ defense. While Fangio has said all summer that there’s a competition for this starting safety job, he clearly became a fan of Epps last year.

The Next Generation of NFL Play Callers Is Here - The Ringer

One big question for 2026: Can Mannion get Hurts to throw to the middle of the field? Hurts’s aversion to middle-of-the-field throws is well documented, but that isn’t the result of a physical (or mental) inability to throw to that area. We have video evidence that he can do it. But most of those throws come against man coverage, where Hurts can read the leverage his receiver has on a defender and lead his guy to a spot. The no-throws come against zone coverage, where Hurts is forced to make anticipatory throws before his receiver arrives in a certain window. If Mannion is the “evil genius” Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata says he is, the rookie play caller should be able to force opposing defenses into man coverage and scheme up plays that pry open zone windows over the middle. This offense doesn’t really work without those throws, and the best coaches in the “Piss Boys” tree have helped lesser quarterbacks make them with regularity.

5 key storylines from Week 2 of NFL preseason: Browns’ QB decision, Falcons’ QB battle to heat up - NFL.com

Tanner McKee has clearly outplayed Andy Dalton in Philadelphia. For the second straight week, Dalton took preseason snaps ahead of McKee but struggled mightily. This one isn’t very close from what we’ve seen. If the Eagles were hoping to flip Dalton for something in a trade after the preseason, his play is likely scaring off any partners.

Spadaro: Savor the moment before the Eagles’ offense takes flight - PhiladelphiaEagles.com

September 13 is so close – we can taste the regular season, the excitement, the energy, the passion. And yet it is, in reality for a football team, so far away in that there is a ton of other stuff to accomplish hour by hour, day by day. So, it is here that we are hearing Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion hold a press conference on Monday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, answering questions on the “right-now” topics – roster battles, what he has seen in the two preseason games, etc. – and holding off, understandably, on the big-picture questions about the Eagles’ scheme and what he envisions for the coming regular season. Specifically, Mannion is asked about pass protection and the mechanism for making sure everyone is on the same page and how the fullback position might impact the offense in 2026. “You know what,” Mannion said, “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t want to reveal too much. But, you know, certainly position versatility, alignment, flexibility – those are things we place a premium on. You know, so it’s – I guess, again, I apologize for not answering the question, but I don’t want to reveal too much. But those are things that are very valuable to us as an offense and that we challenge our guys to do across all our position groups.”

Arizona Cardinals activate Josh Sweat among flurry of moves on Monday - Revenge Of The Birds

The Arizona Cardinals made moves on Monday ahead of their joint practices with the Green Bay Packers and their final game of the preseason. From the team: “The Arizona Cardinals Football Club today announced that the team has activated linebacker Josh Sweat from the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP).“

From NFL to LSU Dae’Quan Wright commits to the Tigers - And The Valley Shook

It’s never a quiet day around Baton Rouge and LSU, and that has proven to be the case today. NFL TE Dae’Quan Wright, who played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, has officially committed to LSU after being cut by the Cleveland Browns. Yes, you read that correctly. That one sentence has so many different layers to it. First, Lane Kiffin and LSU have just become the first college team to receive a commitment from a former NFL player for the upcoming season. Second, a player who was deemed ineligible a month ago has now been able to find a path to regain his eligibility. If Wright clears waivers, he could be in Baton Rouge in time to prepare for LSU’s Week 1 kickoff against Clemson. Yes, LSU is waiting for a player to clear NFL waivers before it can work through another hurdle to get him on campus.

Dallas camp standouts are in: Meet the two 2026 camp MVPs - Blogging The Boys

61 votes were cast in total for 28 different players, and only two players were unanimous picks: Shavon Revel and Rashan Gary tied with five votes apiece, but they got there in different ways. Revel was named among the primary standouts by all five sources, while Gary appeared on three primary lists and received honorable mentions from two others.

Mark Tyler’s Washington Commanders 53-man roster projection - Hogs Haven

I do not think this one is over. [Former Eagle] Julian Good-Jones is only on here until Peters can either swing a trade for a veteran center, sign a free agent or claim one who is released on cut-down day. I’m not at all comfortable with either Trent Scott or Andrew Wylie coming into the game should something happen to Brandon Coleman or Josh Conerly, so I’d have a close eye on cuts at tackle too.

NY Giants’ WR Malik Nabers sheds the red jersey, takes step toward Week 1 - Big Blue View

After wide receiver Malik Nabers took another step forward on Monday in his recovery from a torn ACL, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh said it is “reasonable” to think Nabers has a chance to play in the Giants’ Sept. 13 season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys. In a shells practice with little contact, Nabers was on the field participating in team drills without a red, non-contact jersey for the first time. Unofficially, Nabers took 13 reps, some in 11-on-11 and some in 7-on-7. He caught six passes from Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and Brandon Allen. Nabers’ best catch was a diving play on a comeback route from Allen in front of cornerback Art Green. Nabers was barely touched during any of his 13 reps. Harbaugh stopped short of predicting that Nabers would be ready for Week 1.

Predicting NFL teams most likely to improve in 2026 season - ESPN

The Giants did not have Super Bowl aspirations heading into 2025. The goal was a competitive season in what looked to be a make-or-break year for Brian Daboll after the Giants went 3-14 in 2024. There were positive signs from their rookie class, but the Giants improved by only one game -- and even that required a two-game winning streak to finish the season. I’d argue that the Giants quietly had a more competitive season, even if Daboll wasn’t around to see the end of it. Yes, New York finished 4-13, but its Pythagorean expectation suggests that Big Blue performed at a 7.1 win rate. Accounting for the 17-game schedule, the Giants are one of only 13 teams since 1990 to finish three-plus wins short of their expected win total by point differential, joining last season’s Chiefs on that list. Even if we expand the sample to include teams with a 2½-win gap, we’re still looking at just 23 teams between 1990 and 2025. Those teams improved by an average of three wins per 17 games the following season. Teams that underperform their point differential typically play up to that level with another shot the following year. Coming up short of the point differential also usually comes with a subpar record in one-score games, and the Giants were 1-6 in those contests a year ago, with their lone victory coming against the Chargers in Week 4. Some games can appear closer than reality, with a late score in garbage time bringing a losing team within one touchdown. But the 2025 Giants suffered some painful losses against winning teams in contests they had a real shot at winning.

Jed York reportedly responded to an ad on a known prostitution site - Niners Nation

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in East Palestine, Ohio, over the weekend and found guilty of two misdemeanor charges. According to WKBN News, York pleaded no contest Monday morning to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. He was arrested sometime Sunday in East Palestine before posting a $5,000 bond.

Deshaun Watson is the Browns starting QB, for worse and for worse - SB Nation

Nobody is more gifted at making Browns fans unhappy than the Cleveland Browns. The team announced Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback on Monday, less than 48 hours after he was booed off the field in preseason and subsequently went on a “poor me” rant to the media about how the fans are unfair to him. In any normal organization an adult would step in and say “we can’t start Deshaun,” but we know the Browns aren’t normal.

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Which NFC East player will rush for the most yards this season? How many yards? Will that same player also have total all purpose utility yards (rushing, receiving, returning combined), if not who will split the two titles rushing yardage and all purpose yardage and for which NFC East team?

The rushing attack is making a comeback in the NFL recently, and the northeast is a place where it is an important part of game control and winning. Who will lead the NFC East in rushing yards, and all purpose yardage. Will it be Saquon, Croskey-Merrit, Skattabo, Tracy, Singletary, Harris, Williams, Blue, Hurts, Dart, Bigsby, Daniels, who?

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