Eagles Preseason Week 3 Takeaways
WR Makai Lemon Drew Hallowell / Philadelphia Eagles
The 2026 Eagles preseason is over, and next up is the home opener in week one agaisnt the Washington Commanders.
It’s been a long and grueling offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles, as after capping off a dominant 2024 season by winning a Lombardi trophy, 2025 ended with a sour taste in the team’s mouth, losing a home Wild-Card game to their rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.
Coaches were fired, star players were moved elsewhere, and new faces were brought in to try and help this Eagles core get back to the Super Bowl for a third time in five years.
If the preseason was any indication of how a season was going to go, then there would be cause for concern as Philadelphia went 0-3 in the preseason, losing the home finale to the Cincinnati Bengals 30-13. Thankfully, the preseason means almost nothing for most teams, especially ones like the Eagles, whose entire starting lineup on both sides of the ball played very few to no snaps in all three of the team’s games.
The players that were playing had their final chances to show the Eagles why they should remain with the team post-cut day, and for some it was a showcase of what kind of talent Eagles fans should be expecting this upcoming season.
1. The Debut Of Makai Lemon
All offseason long, Eagles fans have desperately waited for their brand new first-round draft pick, wide receiver Makai Lemon, to make his debut in midnight green. Lemon has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has caused the rookie to miss a majority of OTA’s and training camp.
How serious was the hamstring injury? Time will tell, but many considered the time Lemon missed was merely for caution. He was able to rehab and still get small reps here and there to get him acclimated to the first-team offense, and after working hard to get back onto the field, the Eagles decided to have Lemon play the first half of their preseason finale, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the start everyone was hoping to see just two weeks before Week 1.
Lemon caught three balls for a total of three yards, totaling just five targets during the first half. One of the targets that he didn’t catch went right through his hands and into the hands of Bengals defender Tacario Davis for an interception.
This was the issue many weren’t hoping for with Lemon after missing a good portion of training camp, as live reps have been limited for the rookie, which may cause struggles for the few weeks of the 2026 season until Lemon adjusts to the big boys league.
Thankfully, Jalen Hurts and co. will be out with Lemon the next time he’s on the field, so better and more experienced players will be by his side to help smooth his transition.
2. Secondary Player Taking Steps Closer To A Starting Spot
One position that the Eagles didn’t prioritize fully improving this offseason was the secondary. Philadelphia didn’t do anything, as they went out and signed one of the best available outside corners in Riq Woolen to secure the outside opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
Due to not fully addressing the safety room, they decided that nickel corner Cooper DeJean will split time at safety and nickel, giving opportunities to players at both positions to fill in for him when he’s at one position and not at the other.
Mac McWilliams has been the leader to play nickel when DeJean is up top, shining again, totaling seven tackles, six being solo. Andre’ Sam, one of the backup safeties having a great camp, looked solid again, totaling three tackles, one pass deflection, and recovering two fumbles.
Unfortunately for Sam, he was injured in the fourth quarter of the game and was seen in a walking boot after the game, so it will likely be some time before we see Sam on the field this season.
3. Two Running Backs Making Decisions Interesting
While the offense wasn’t the highlight of the night for Philadelphia, the running back players from Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele certainly made things interesting for Philadelphia’s roster decisions this weekend.
Pierce, who signed a one-year deal back in March, has had an unfortunate training camp, as a hamstring injury has caused him to miss the majority of it, making his chances of making the team slim to none. However, he’s worked back and was finally given an opportunity in the preseason finale.
In the first half, Pierce rattled off four runs for 44 yards, including a big first-down run near the end of the first quarter. Due to the large options at running back and his missed time, Pierce will likely end up on the practice squad after cuts, but if he continues to rehab, he could be a late-season option for the Eagles.
As for Carson Steele, the third-year running back scored the sole touchdown for the Eagles in their loss, a five-yard pass from Andy Dalton. Steele had a day in the air and on the ground, totaling eight catches for 52 receiving yards and 24 rushing yards on eight carries.
Steele’s chances of making the team merely depend on whether the Eagles want to carry a fullback, but the preseason finale showed that he’s a reliable option for the team, who could also catch passes if needed.
The Eagles will have to cut their roster down from 90 players to 53 by 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday, August 30. Many of the Eagles’ spots seem to have already been filled, but with Howie Roseman, anything is possible before then.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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