The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t given their fans much to smile about lately, but rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon just did. Lemon caught his first touchdown in the NFL, and the first-round pick is looking more and more like the real deal. He’s also showing everybody what this Eagles’ offense can look like when Sean Mannion gets out of his own way.

Look, it’s been rough. If you’re searching for good news in Philly right now, you aren’t finding a whole lot of it. Lemon is about the only positive I can come up with for the Eagles.

Makai Lemon is impressive as a rookie

Let’s not overcomplicate this. Makai Lemon can play.

This is a wide receiver Philadelphia drafted in the first round, and you want to see flashes from a guy like that in Year 1. Now we’re seeing them. He’s starting to look polished as a route runner, and he’s coming along at a steady pace. He isn’t a finished product yet, and nobody should expect him to be. He finished the game with seven receptions for 67 yards.

The unfortunate part? The expectations on Lemon are only going to get higher, and it isn’t really his fault. All the A.J. Brown drama has hung over this receiver room, and fans are naturally going to look at the rookie as part of the answer for whatever comes next. That’s a lot of weight to put on a first-year player.

But Lemon is doing everything he can to carry it. A first career touchdown isn’t a small thing for a young receiver. It builds confidence, and confidence is exactly what he needs right now.

Sean Mannion and the Eagles finally did what we’ve been asking for

Here’s the thing that stood out to me most. When Sean Mannion and the Eagles actually do what we have been telling them to do, the offense works.

What does that look like? Get rhythm plays into the offense. Get away from those ugly screens. Throw the ball over the middle of the field and mix things up a little bit. Simple stuff, right? Yet it has taken way too long for this coaching staff to commit to it.

And when Philly leaned into that approach, it could actually sustain drives, even with a backup quarterback under center. You can’t blame everything on the quarterback situation when the offense moves the ball once the play-calling makes sense. The scheme has to give guys a chance to succeed, and the middle of the field is where a receiver like Lemon thrives.

So for me, this goes beyond one touchdown. The Eagles have a formula that fits their personnel, so they just have to stop abandoning it.

Give the rookie more runway

For the rest of the year, I would give Lemon way more runway. Let him go out there, let him learn, let him make mistakes, and let him try to have some big games. A season like this one is the perfect time to find out what you have in a young receiver.

Keep in mind, the long-term picture in this receiver room could look very different down the road. If the Eagles want Lemon to be a key piece of that future, the time to build him up is now. Feed him targets. Get his confidence rolling. Let him grow into the role instead of easing him into it.

The season might not be going the way anybody in Philadelphia hoped, but the Eagles found something in Makai Lemon.