Week 7 didn’t give Eagles fans many reasons to smile after a 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise rough afternoon.
Lemon entered the game with plenty of volume and not much to show for it. Before facing Dallas, he was averaging just 7.1 yards per reception, a number that reflected how often the ball had come his way without much payoff.
A lot of that, according to the source, came down to Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion dialing up what were described as too many screen passes for Lemon. The production hadn’t matched the first-round billing, and there had even been talk that he might end up lumped in with other Eagles rookies who had failed since the 2025 draft.
That conversation got a reset in Week 7.
Lemon turned in his best outing of the season in the loss, and the biggest moment came on the opening third-quarter drive. He hauled in a fourth-and-one pass and turned it into a 15-yard gain to keep the possession alive, then finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown catch by leaning over the goal line. It was the first touchdown of his NFL career.
By the end of the game, Lemon had team highs in targets with eight, receptions with seven, yards with 67, and touchdowns with one. He averaged 9.6 yards per catch in the game, and the only incompletion his way came when Tanner McKee put the throw behind him for what was scored as a "drop".
The connection between McKee and Lemon was obvious throughout the game, and it stood out as something the Eagles can build on since the two will be working together all season long.
Lemon’s performance also came at a time when the Eagles needed it. With DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks out because of injuries, Philly needed someone to take on more of the load, and Lemon delivered in the one game where that was most necessary.
For the season, Lemon now has 25 catches for 194 yards and one touchdown, and his yards per reception has climbed to 7.8.
The raw numbers still don’t jump off the page, but the performance against Dallas gave a better look at why the Eagles liked him so much in the first place. After seven weeks of waiting, he finally showed the kind of tools that can matter in this offense.
Mannion also finally gave Lemon a chance to work vertically and catch the ball in front of the line of scrimmage, which opened the door for him to do damage after the catch. That fit his game, since he can separate from defenders and use his speed to pick up yards.
Lemon also had to handle some snaps out of position, including time on the outside, but that didn’t slow him down. When he won his matchups, he made plays and showed why the Eagles drafted him.
It was a useful glimpse of what’s ahead. The Eagles don’t need Lemon to be an All-Pro with Smith already in the mix.
They need him to be a dependable third-down target and someone who could grow into a WR2 role if things don’t work out with Wicks. For now, he’s moving in that direction.
In Other News...
Eagles Loss Exposed A Defensive Line Problem Fans Will Notice
The snap counts from the Eagles Week 7 loss to the Cowboys offered a clear look at how much the defensive front was asked to carry, and how little splash came from that workload. With injuries still shaping the rotation, Philadelphia leaned heavily on its interior linemen and mixed in some role changes across the defense, while rookies and returning players added to the churn in personnel.
Jalen Carters usage stood out in particular, as he was on the field far more than usual but did not turn that volume into the disruptive night the Eagles needed. Jordan Davis was also pushed into a bigger share of the action, and the numbers pointed to a front line that was busy without being especially effective, which only deepens the concern as the defense tries to sort out who can consistently tilt a game in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Trade Deadline Reality Just Got Hard To Ignore
A fifth straight loss has pushed Philadelphia into a trade-deadline conversation it probably did not want to be having this early, but it is now impossible to ignore. Around the league, the Eagles are being viewed as possible sellers, with attention turning to players whose contract situations make them easier to move if the front office decides the season has tilted too far in the wrong direction. Moro Ojomo, Riq Woolen, Dallas Goedert and Kelee Ringo have all been floated as names to watch, and the logic is straightforward: if the Eagles are going to retool, expiring deals are the cleanest path to future draft capital.
Hollywood Brown belongs in that same uncomfortable mix, especially after he was a healthy scratch against the Panthers. The sense is that Philadelphia is at least willing to listen on players who may not fit its long-term plan, even if that means entertaining decisions that would have seemed hard to imagine before the losing streak. What happens next will say plenty about how aggressively the Eagles want to protect the present versus cashing in pieces for the future, and that balance may not be easy to strike with the deadline closing in. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Took One Extra Shot At The Eagles After That Win
Dallas left Lincoln Financial Field with more than a win in Week 7, and the postgame mood said plenty about how the Cowboys viewed it. After snapping a two-game losing streak with a 38-21 victory over the Eagles, the visitors carried that momentum back to the locker room and into a celebration that made the rivalry feel even sharper.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer pointed to the teams positive energy after the game, while also stressing the need to keep the focus on Arizona next. For Philadelphia, the result already stung on the field, but the added swipe afterward only gave the loss a little more edge heading into the next round of NFC East business. [Read more 🡒]