Stock Report: Eagles Players Who Need A Big Week 2 Against Titans

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles are 1-0 and heading to what’s forecasted to be a steamy Nashville as heavy favorites.

That does not mean Sunday is a bye week against the talent-challenged Titans.

Three players in particular need to deliver against a Tennessee team that does not want to fall to 0-2 on the young season: rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon, second-year interior lineman Drew Kendall, and third-year edge rusher Jalyx Hunt.

Each player will arrive in Music City with a different kind of unfinished business after Philadelphia’s 24-22 nailbiter against Washington.

Makai Lemon: The first-round pick who needs to start showing something

Lemon’s NFL introduction was historically ugly. The No. 20 overall pick out of Southern Cal caught three of four targets for minus-5 yards. Those were the fewest receiving yards by a first-round wide receiver in a debut, and only the second time a first-round WR finished his first game in negative yardage.

The numbers do not tell the whole story either. Lemon played 35 snaps, operated as WR3, and was used almost exclusively on screens and throws behind the line of scrimmage.

Protection issues limited Jalen Hurts’ time to find Lemon over the middle as a non-priority option, and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion needs to take the shrinkwrap off and treat Lemon like an actual professional receiver.

It’s sink or swim for Lemon or else against the Titans. Another poor performance could force a move toward using Hollywood Brown or Elijah Moore until the Eagles trust Lemon enough to do anything more than the ugly, disconnected manufactured touches against the Commanders.

Drew Kendall: Good luck with Jeffery Simmons

Landon Dickerson is now officially on injured reserve with a knee injury and will miss at least the next four games. Even though, the Eagles are playing coy, Kendall, a 2025 fifth-round pick out of Boston College, is Dickerson’s most likely replacement for at left guard.

The son of longtime NFL guard Pete Kendall, the younger Kendall’s assignment is as tough as it gets. Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and is arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL.

Kendall’s resume features only one NFL start, and it came in a Week 18 rest game. A somewhat clean, physical game where Kendall does not seem out of place going against Simmons would validate the developmental leap coaches have been talking about with the second-year player this summer.

Jalyx Hunt: Restarting the hype machine

While Hunt generated some quarterback pressures against Washington (four per Pro Football Focus and seven according to Next Gen Stats), the eye test pointed to a more pedestrian performance, something defensive coordinator Vic Fangio validated when talking about his edge group as a whole.

“I thought our pass rush overall, when our guys that mainly rushed the passer, was inconsistent and really wasn't good enough,” Fangio admitted.

Hunt played 53 of 70 defensive snaps (76 percent) against the Commanders, the heaviest workload among Philadelphia’s edge group. With Jonathan Greenard questionable again with a pec injury, Hunt needs to produce against a quarterback in Cam Ward susceptible to making mistakes.

Ward was sacked a league-high 55 times in 2025 and was taken down three times in Week 1.

A big production day against the Titans would help confirm Hunt is about to take the Year 3 leap so many expected.

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