Since trading longtime veteran receiver Diontae Johnson two weeks ago to the Carolina Panthers, the wide receiver position has been a major need for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After trading Johnson, the Steelers had just George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Marquez Callaway as viable receiving options on the roster.
The Steelers have been connected to plenty of big-name receivers so far this offseason, but GM Omar Khan struck quietly Monday morning, signing veteran receiver Quez Watkins in free agency, giving the Steelers a player whom assistant GM Andy Weidl knows well, while adding significant home run speed to new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm.
Watkins, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Southern Mississippi by the Philadelphia Eagles, spent the last four seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. After clocking a 4.35 40-yard dash coming out of college, Watkins certainly hit some big plays in his time with the Eagles, but he was far too inconsistent.
That shows up on film.
In his four seasons with the Eagles, Watkins recorded 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns. He was very rarely used last season, playing just 303 total snaps before leaving in free agency for the other side of the Commonwealth.
Coming off a poor 2023 season, Watkins is looking for a bounce back under the watchful eye of someone who took a chance on him four years ago in Weidl. The Steelers have a very clear need and Watkins brings depth.
Outside of that experienced depth, what does the 6-foot, 193-pound speedster bring to the table at the position?
Let’s dive into the film.
As a receiver, Watkins does one thing very well: run fast.
In 147 career targets, Watkins averages 10.6 yards. The Eagles liked to let him try and take the top off of defenses, which he did well at times.
His speed is his calling card, but it’s important to note that might be the only card he has in the deck.
He’s not a polished route runner, doesn’t have the best footwork, and really had a limited route tree in Philadelphia. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons in the six games that I watched, Watkins was asked to run either a go route, a deep-over route, a shallow cross or a speed out, whether that was from the boundary or in the slot.
That’s about it. He isn’t a nuanced route runner, doesn’t really have a feel for how to find the blind spot of defenders and manipulate them, and just doesn’t have a full route tree at his disposal.
The frustrating thing is, he flashed it once against the Vikings in 2022 in the six games that I watched over the last two seasons. When he showed some route-running chops, the ability to find the blind spot, throttle down and cut hard, he caught my attention. He made former Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson look silly on one rep.
It was just non-existent in the other games that I watched, which was discouraging.
It’s seemingly in there with Watkins. He just needs to tap into it more.
That said, the speed works well and allows him to run away from defenders and win in space.
The Eagles knew that and took advantage of it during his four seasons with them.
Against Washington in the 2022 season, Watkins had some success in the middle of the field, working on over routes taking advantage of space underneath for chunk yardage.
It’s not the best route in the world, and he bends it off very clearly, but he got open and made the catch, picking up about 16 yards on an easy pitch and catch from quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Teams were so worried about Watkins late in the year taking the top off that they were willing to give him the underneath stuff out of the slot, and Hurts took advantage of it.
The speed is his trump card, without a doubt.
He can simply run away from guys with his 4.35 speed.
It showed against Indianapolis during the 2022 season. Out of slot, Watkins is able to get on top of slot cornerback Kenny Moore II in a hurry and then is able to run away from him on the over route, leading to a touchdown on a big throw from Hurts in front of the closing safety.
His route tree might be limited, but when he is asked to run over routes, his speed is really hard to defend.
Having played with Hurts the last few seasons, Watkins knows what to do in a scramble drill, which is really encouraging.
Here against the Vikings in 2022, Watkins does a really good job of continuing his over route to the far sideline, motoring down just a bit to get into Hurts’ sight.
Great feet near the sideline, too, getting his left foot down and dragging the right to complete the big gain.
He’ll get the opportunity to show his abilities in scramble drill with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in Pittsburgh in 2024, which is rather enticing. He knows when to leak out, when to turn it upfield, and when to simply get into the line of sight. He’s hit some big plays like this in his career simply due to understanding what to do in scramble drill.
Watkins’ home run speed is the key though.
He can get past you in the blink of an eye, and he did it numerous times in Philadelphia.
His speed can allow him to get deep on the best of them, and it also causes issues from a communication standpoint. Defenders can panic a bit and miscommunicate when he’s on the field, much like the Vikings did here, leading to Watkins splitting the corner and safety for the easy touchdown.
You can see how that made Peterson feel at the top of the screen as the ball is in the air.
While Watkins made a name for himself in the NFL as a true vertical threat who had some success in Philadelphia, in Pittsburgh he’s going to need to be much better as a blocker than some of the reps he put out there in the run and screen game with the Eagles.
He’s a smaller receiver, that much is certain. He’s got a bit of a thin frame, too. But on tape over the six games, the want-to and the overall effort just wasn’t there in the run game and in the screen game. He appeared more satisfied just getting in the way rather than trying to engage and move defenders for the betterment of the team, which was discouraging.
The Eagles have a nice tunnel screen set up here against Washington in 2022 but watch Watkins out of the slot here.
He nearly comes to a stop at the point of contact as a blocker, allows his defender to ultimately make the play, and then caps it all off by signaling for the first down.
That’s not going to work in Arthur Smith’s offense, and certainly won’t fly under new wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni’s coaching style.
You’ve really got to want to block at the position in the NFL. Watkins doesn’t seem to possess that want-to. He’ll certainly try and make it look good at times, but his physicality and overall awareness as a blocker is clearly lacking on film.
This was an ugly one from last season against the New York Giants in the regular-season finale.
It’s a run play to his side of the formation, and he doesn’t even get a hand on his cornerback until he sees running back Kenneth Gainwell getting into the second level.
Ultimately, Watkins’ defender helps slow Gainwell down, taking away a potential home run for the Eagles’ offense.
Yes, Watkins gets in the way in the end, but there has to be more want-to as a blocker in this situation. Look to bury the guy in space. Be proactive as a blocker, not reactive. He’ll be tested in that way in Pittsburgh.
Overall, Watkins brings a significant speed element to the Steelers’ offense, one that is proven in the NFL through his first four seasons. He can take the top off a defense and really knows how to find open space in the middle of the field, which should fit well in Smith’s scheme in the Steel City. But the lack of a full route tree, very little creativity after the catch or the ability to break tackles, and some serious struggles as a blocker makes him a bit of a redundant piece with Calvin Austin III.
We’ll see if Watkins can shake free from some of his struggles in Philadelphia over the past four years and tap into some of his potential as that vertical threat in the NFL. But based on the tape over the last two seasons, Watkins is a guy who is likely going to be in a battle at the bottom of the depth chart at the receiver position.
