The Eagles are walking into Nashville at 1-0, heavy favorites in a game that still carries real pressure for a few key players. Sunday may not look like a trap on paper, but for Makai Lemon, Drew Kendall, and Jalyx Hunt, it is a chance to answer some very specific questions.
Lemon’s first NFL game was rough in a way that showed up in the record books. The No. 20 overall pick out of Southern Cal caught three of four targets for minus-5 yards in Philadelphia’s 24-22 win over Washington. That was the fewest receiving yards by a first-round wideout in a debut, and only the second time a first-round receiver finished his first game in negative yardage.
Even that line undersells how limited his role was. Lemon played 35 snaps as WR3 and mostly got work on screens and throws behind the line of scrimmage.
Protection problems kept Jalen Hurts from having much time to look for him over the middle, and Sean Mannion has to expand the usage if the Eagles want to get anything real out of the rookie. Against Tennessee, the message is simple: this can’t stay stuck in the same shallow, manufactured lane.
If it does, the Eagles may have to lean more on Hollywood Brown or Elijah Moore until Lemon proves he can handle more.
Kendall is in a different spot, but the assignment is just as unforgiving. Landon Dickerson is on injured reserve with a knee injury and will miss at least the next four games, which makes Kendall the likeliest option to step in at left guard even as the Eagles keep things coy.
The 2025 fifth-round pick out of Boston College has only one NFL start, and that came in a Week 18 rest game. Now he’s staring at Jeffrey Simmons, who had a career-high 11 sacks last season and is widely viewed as one of the league’s best interior defensive linemen.
If Kendall can hold up in a physical game and not look overwhelmed, it would go a long way toward backing up the growth the coaching staff has been talking about all summer.
Hunt’s task comes with a different kind of pressure. He did get some heat on the quarterback against Washington - four pressures by Pro Football Focus and seven by Next Gen Stats - but the overall performance didn’t quite match the numbers, and Vic Fangio made that clear when he talked about the pass rush as a whole.
“I thought our pass rush overall, when our guys that mainly rushed the passer, was inconsistent and really wasn't good enough,” Fangio admitted.
Hunt was on the field for 53 of 70 defensive snaps, or 76 percent, which was the heaviest workload among Philadelphia’s edge players. With Jonathan Greenard questionable again because of a pec injury, Hunt has a clean path to a productive day against Cam Ward, who was sacked a league-high 55 times in 2025 and went down three times in Week 1. A strong showing in Tennessee would help make the Year 3 leap feel real.
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Eagles Suddenly Have A Big Chance To Solve A Costly Problem
Landon Dickersons injury has opened a familiar kind of door for the Eagles, the kind that can matter just as much to the cap sheet as it does to the lineup. With one of their most important interior linemen expected to miss at least four games, Philadelphia suddenly has a live test for Drew Kendall, the 2025 fifth-round pick who has been cross-training at guard and now gets a real chance to show he can handle it in game action.
For a team that has poured major money into its defense, finding dependable offensive line production from younger, cheaper players is more than a convenience, it is a necessity. If Kendall holds up, the Eagles could be looking at a long-term answer in a spot where proven depth is usually expensive, and this stretch now becomes a significant evaluation period for a player the organization already views as someone who could start down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Cooper DeJean Concern After Rough Debut
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For Philadelphia, the timing is less than ideal. DeJean had a rough debut, giving up several big plays and drawing penalties, and his availability for Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans is now uncertain. The Eagles were already sorting through the ups and downs of a young player getting thrown into the fire, and now they have to monitor whether he can get back on the field in time to help clean it up. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Already Have A Backfield Question Behind Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley remains the clear engine of the Eagles backfield, and he looked the part against Washington. But the more intriguing storyline tucked behind his workload is the uncertainty over who, exactly, is next in line if Philadelphia needs help at running back. Tank Bigsby entered the game listed as the primary backup, yet his role never quite matched that billing, leaving the depth chart looking a little more fluid than the team likely expected.
Kenneth Shipley wound up drawing more attention than Bigsby, even though he was initially viewed as a candidate to get cut. His heavier usage and visible impact suggest the Eagles may have more to sort through at the position than just Barkleys workload management. For a team that wants stability behind its featured back, the early answer is not nearly as settled as the depth chart made it seem. [Read more 🡒]