The Philadelphia Eagles have no shortage of offensive weapons. Most teams would love to have players likeDeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Zach Ertz, and Saquon Barkley at their disposal, and they know all are capable of producing on any given Sunday.
Even with that assortment of weaponry, touches for any one player can be hard to come by. That's especially true when fans are focused on receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Through the first two weeks of the season, Makai Lemon has found himself in that position. The rookie first-rounder, after an early hamstring injury, has struggled to find his footing.
The talented receiver flashed his potential with a chain-moving catch vs. theTennessee Titans, but most of his offensive touches have
lost yardage. Most of his production has yet to match the excitement that surrounded him entering the season. Sean Mannion supported him publicly. An aggressive media and many Eagles fans remain skeptical.
So that aggressive media asked the head coach. Ahead of the Eagles' Week 3 game vs. the Chicago Bears,head coach Nick Sirianni was asked on Saturday whether Lemon's role over the middle of the field could expand moving forward or if patience is simply part of the process. His answer suggested the Eagles are already seeing plenty from Lemon, even if those contributionsdon't always show up in traditional statistics.
"I want individual success for all our guys. Those individual goals don't happen, though, without team success first. Everything we do is going to be to help us have the best chance to win. Makai's going to be a big part of that as we continue forward because we know he's talented. I feel like he's looking better each week throughout practice because that's your best indicator of what the game's going to look like."
Coach Sirianni acknowledged that everyone would like to see more production from every offensive playmaker. At the same time, he emphasized that evaluating Lemon requires looking beyond catches and yards.
Nick Sirianni sees value beyond the box score.
One of the most revealing parts of Sirianni's answer came when he discussed the work Lemon is doing when the football isn't coming his way. The head coach made it clear that the Eagles are paying attention to details that rarely appear on a stat sheet.
"Of course, I'd want him to have 10 catches for 100 yards, and Smitty and Tay and whoever. That's just the way the season goes, and we'll see where we continue to go. I think Smitty and Tay have had a good start to the season, and there's things that Makai's doing that a stat sheet can't show, and we're pleased with where he's continuing to go."
Sirianni then offered what may be his strongest endorsement of Lemon's progress. Check out what he says here.
"His touches will come because he'll be out there because he consistently does the right thing when the ball's not going to him."
For a coaching staff that routinely stresses accountability, assignment execution, and playing winning football, that comment carries weight. Lemon's opportunities may fluctuate from week to week as the Eagles continue distributing touches among a deep group of playmakers.
Sirianni's comments suggest, however, that the organization believes the receiver is progressing exactly as it should. The statistics may not fully reflect that growth yet. According to Sirianni, the Eagles are seeing enough behind the scenes to believe the bigger moments will eventually follow.
Whether that breakout comes against the Bears remains to be seen, but Sirianni's comments offered a glimpse into how the Eagles are evaluating Lemon internally. Fans naturally focus on catches, yards, and touchdowns, but the coaching staff appears to be paying just as much attention to the details that create trust.
If Sirianni is right, Lemon's opportunities won't increase because the Eagles are trying to force the ball to him. They'll increase because he's consistently proving he deserves to be on the field. And when those opportunities arrive, the production many have been waiting for may not be far behind.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Nick Sirianni explains why Makai Lemon’s role could grow with Eagles
