Entering the NFL’s Owners Meetings in Orlando this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers still had some major holes on the roster after a fast and furious first week of the new league year in mid-March.
GM Omar Khan quietly went to work early in the week, landing Quez Watkins to try and address some depth at one of the biggest areas of need for the Steelers, the former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver agreeing to a one-year deal.
In four seasons with the Eagles, Watkins made some big plays as a former sixth-round pick, hauling in 98 passes for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns. His 2021 season was an impressive one in which he recorded 15 yards per receptions, but the last two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love were a bit of a disappointment for Watkins.
Now, he’s getting a chance to reset in Pittsburgh.
That’s a move that makes sense for Watkins, according to Philadelphia Inquirer team reporter EJ Smith. Appearing on the latest episode of the “Chipped Ham and Football” podcast with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers’ reporter Brian Batko, Smith stated that Watkins has a “tantalizing profile” as a deep-ball threat, which could be a good fit in new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme.
“You’ll notice immediately from him that he’s got elite NFL speed. He is a field stretcher,” Smith said regarding Watkins, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. “He’s the type of guy who can take the top off of a defense and that was why he had a role in the Eagles’ receiving corps.
“Even after A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, once that duo was formed, he was still a meaningful member of the wide receiver corps because of what he could threaten the defense with, which was his long speed.”
That long speed shows up on tape for Watkins. Coming out of Southern Mississippi State in the 2020 NFL Draft, Watkins clocked a 4.35 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. That long speed was present on tape quite a bit as Watkins had some success winning down the field, hitting home runs for the Eagles.
But that success down the field was far too inconsistent for Watkins and the Eagles. Though he was a prominent member of the Eagles’ wide receiver room even after the acquisition of Brown, the issues with inconsistencies were maddening for the Eagles and their fan base.
His last two seasons in Philadelphia were poor, too, and ultimately led to him departing for the other side of the state with the Steelers. There is an opportunity there for Watkins to be the home run guy in the Steelers’ offense under Smith’s guidance, potentially catching deep balls from Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
For EJ Smith, it makes sense why the Steelers took a chance on Watkins.
“I understand why the Steelers might wanna take a flyer on a guy like him. Again, he’s got good physical traits,” Smith said. “He’s someone who can make explosive plays down the field, maybe not as consistently as you might want, but I do think that he has some intriguing attributes at least.”
The speed is certainly an intriguing attribute, and it’s something that the Steelers haven’t exactly had in recent years outside of some flashes from Calvin Austin III. But Watkins is a proven commodity in the NFL, and now steps into a receiver room in Pittsburgh with a clear opportunity in front of him.
We’ll see if he can take advantage of that opportunity and carve out a role with those intriguing physical attributes.
