The Eagles wasted no time getting first-round pick Makai Lemon involved in his preseason debut Friday night against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field.

Quarterback Tanner McKee executed a play-action rollout to his right, feeding the ball to the wide receiver for a short gain. It was the first of three catches on the night for Lemon, who missed time during Training Camp with a hamstring injury.

Friday night provided some critical learning moments for the young player, who had a drop that resulted in an interception and a muffed punt return.

"I'm glad it happened in the preseason, so come around September, those things won't happen," Lemon said after the game, not shying away from the fact that he expects better of himself.

"We've seen some good things throughout his practices where we're feeling good about his development," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "He's got to continue to develop, young player, and we know we're going to be able to count on him this year."

Lemon said that when he came to the sidelines, the veterans offered words of encouragement.

"Learn from it and forget about it," Lemon said of the advice given to him. "You can't beat yourself up about it. The next-play mentality, really. I appreciate the guys having my back. I'm real hard on myself. I'm a perfectionist. When things like that do come about, I just got to forget about it and move on."

Lemon is now fully healthy and has preseason tape to study as the Eagles turn the page from the preseason and begin preparing for the Week 1 home opener against the Washington Commanders on September 13 at Lincoln Financial Field.

"I feel real prepared, but we still got some time," Lemon said. "I've got to lock in each week. Just cleaning up little mistakes, really."