Quez Watkins, The Forgotten Weapon, Don’t Be A Fan Later

Most of the offseason has been spent fantasizing about the potential of DeVonta Smith, rightly so, or lamenting the fact that the Eagles didn’t draft or trade for an elite CB. (I had to at least mention cornerback, the site is phillycovercorner.com after all) A lot of message board comments and tweets have also been focused on tearing down last years first round pick, Jalen Reagor, or commenting on how excited they are to see him paired with Smith. Quez Watkins has rarely been mentioned this offseason, and seems to be the forgotten weapon. 

Quez has quietly gone about his offseason building chemistry and working out with QB Jalen Hurts as well as putting in time in the weight room. He is visibly stronger from where he was last year, and appears to be benefiting from being with the team for an entire offseason. The limited videos the Eagles have released of the offseason workouts, and the clips online training with QB Hurts, show his speed and sharp route running. A full season with Hurts as QB1 could be huge for his development and the opportunities he will have going into his second season. 

Last year Quez played 119 snaps on offense. He was never targeted by Carson Wentz, and had only 20 of those 119 snaps during the first three months of the season. When Jalen Hurts took over versus the Saints in week 13, Quez started to make the most of his limited opportunities. Over the final four games of the season he was targeted 13 times, bringing in 7 receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. He also excited the fan base with 2 of those receptions (one of those  a 32 yd TD against the Cardinals) being over 30 yards, bringing some much needed big play ability to the offense. Watkins averaged a robust 17.7 yards per catch. 

Extrapolating those statistics over a full season would roughly translate to 35 receptions for 575 yards and 5 touchdowns. Not bad for a sixth round draft pick out of Southern Mississippi who was brought in with little to no fan fare. Infact, most of the Eagles beat writers didn’t even think Quez would make the roster. Assuming he could put up those numbers over the course of a season may be bit ambitious considering these numbers are based off such a small sample size, and likely as a 4th or 5th receiver. But Quez has demonstrated a quick burst, good hands, and lots of confidence. He looks poised to make a significant jump in year two. 

Coach Siranni will have lots of different lineup options available with the probable wideout core of Ward, Reagor, Smith, Fulgham and Quez at his disposal. (Not to mention the TE’s of Ertz and Goddert.) Quez could be another big play threat and bring much needed swagger to the position, along with Reagor and Smith.

Watkins threw up a peace sign after he scored his first NFL touchdown, but he wants nothing more than to cause quite the opposite to opposing DB’s this upcoming season. 

As his twitter handle states “Don’t be a fan later..”

David

7-26-21

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