Three games into the 2026 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles rookie Makai Lemon hasn’t produced much.
Typically, a high-end pick for the Eagles with limited production through three weeks as a rookie would see plenty of criticism. However, Lemon has left fans more intrigued than frustrated, leading to a lot of support for the former USC wide receiver.
However, it’s not all praise. Some analysts don’t see Lemon as being ready for a consistent starting role. The former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho claims that the Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts simply doesn’t trust the rookie.
Jalen Hurts Gets Accused Of Lacking Trust In Eagles Rookie
“Jalen Hurts is playing with one hand behind his back because there’s a wide receiver on the football field that Jalen Hurts doesn’t trust,” Acho said on Speakeasy.
“Who cares if I don’t trust him? Jalen Hurts doesn’t trust him. Jalen Hurts is playing a man down every single offensive possession because he doesn’t trust Makai Lemon. He doesn’t even look at Makai Lemon.”
Several plays from Monday’s action between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears went viral on Tuesday as fans noticed that Hurts had a tendency to miss or overlook Lemon at times. In Acho’s eyes, it simply boils down to a lack of trust from the seasoned quarterback, who has built up plenty of chemistry with DeVonta Smith over the years and Dontayvion Wicks over the months.
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A lack of training camp action for Lemon might’ve contributed to the slow start. Although Lemon was available at the start and end of camp, he missed several weeks of action due to a hamstring injury. With Hurts still learning a new offensive system himself, there are simply targets he might lean on at times. Unfortunately for Lemon, it comes at the cost of his early-season production.
Makai Lemon’s Rookie Season So Far
The Eagles are three games in and Lemon has been targeted by Hurts nine times.
The rookie has seven catches for 38 yards as a starter. A combination of failed screens to Lemon and the supposed lack of trust from Hurts has created a difficult obstacle for Lemon to overcome.
With time, Lemon and Hurts will build chemistry naturally. The hope is that it happens much sooner rather than later, as the Eagles want to see their big draft investment pay off as early as possible, but the season is still young. Lemon is getting up to speed, while Hurts is shaking the rust off after missing the entire preseason.