The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday evening for their preseason opener, a cross-conference rivalry of proximity. It's a chance for the Eagles to test drive their new-look offense with Sean Mannion calling plays. Much has been made of Philadelphia's major changes, both on the sidelines and personnel-wise.
Among those major changes: selecting USC wideout Makai Lemon in the first round. Lemon is an extremely competitive, chippy pass-catcher who thrives in the intermediate range. That is not always where Jalen Hurts likes to throw the football, though. That said, Lemon has also spent the past couple weeks battling through a hamstring strain. Here's his Week 1 status.
Is Makai Lemon playing tonight? Latest Eagles-Ravens updates
Makai Lemon suffered a hamstring strain on Aug. 3, after missing the majority of spring practices with a hammie problem. He has not participated in live drills since, instead relegated to non-contact work and a standard rehab track. As a result, he will miss Saturday's preseason opener against the Ravens.
DeVonta Smith will also miss the opener with a hamstring issue, although his place on the roster is more established. Smith is WR1 with a bullet. Lemon came into camp with a chance to establish himself as WR2, but now there's a chance he won't even start early in the season due to time missed and the resulting lack of familiarity with the offense.
Absent Lemon and Smith, the Eagles' wide receiver room becomes threadbare by default. So while Saturday is still a chance to watch Mannion's more balanced offensive game plan in action, one can hardly expect the Eagles to execute it to the fullest of their abilities.
Lemon has dealt with hamstring issues dating back to college, so it's becoming a worrisome trend for the 22-year-old rookie. It's probably too soon to panic, but there's a chance Eagles fans will need to wait. Philadelphia will almost certainly take the abundantly cautious approach to Lemon's recovery.
Eagles WR depth chart for preseason opener vs. Ravens
Luckily for Philadelphia, there is no shortage of experience in the Eagles wide receiver room. The A.J. Brown trade hurts on the surface — even if that breakup was long overdue — but newcomers Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown are extremely dynamic in their own right. Wicks has played under Mannion's supervision in Green Bay before, while Brown was once the favorite speedster of Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
Position | Name | Career Receiving Yards |
|---|---|---|
WR1 | Dontayvion Wicks | 1,328 |
WR2 | Hollywood Brown | 4,322 |
WR3 | Elijah Moore | 2,274 |
WR4 | Johnny Wilson | 38 |
WR5 | Britain Covey | 124 |
WR6 | Darius Cooper | 92 |
WR7 | Quez Watkins | 1,249 |
Out, Hamstring | DeVonta Smith | 5,019 |
Out, Hamstring | Makai Lemon | 0 |
Wicks, Brown and Elijah Moore — the latter is a five-year NFL vet who split 2025 between Buffalo and Denver — should dominate touches in the early going, while Johnny Wilson, Britain Covey, Darius Cooper and Quez Watkins all duke it out for the coach's favor and a chance to make the final roster.
Lemon feels like the clear WR2 or WR3 once he's back up to speed, but it could take some time. If this hamstring lingers until the regular season, it will be difficult for Lemon to establish his foothold without adequate practice reps or a proven NFL track record.
When is the Eagles vs. Ravens preseason game?
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- How to watch: NBC 10 Philadelphia / WBAL Baltimore
- How to stream: NFL+/FuboTV
This game will air at 7 p.m. ET on local broadcast networks, NBC 10 in Philadelphia or WBAL, an NBC affiliate, in Baltimore. Those looking to watch out of market will need to stream on NFL+. Those hoping to stream in market can turn to FuboTV.
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