Quez Watkins, a wide receiver, has changed NFL teams in Pennsylvania. After four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, the former Athens High School standout signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
The Steelers announced on Monday that they have signed Watkins to a one-year contract.
Watkins was selected in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft after running the second-fastest 40-yard sprint among wide receivers at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. He recorded 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six scores in 49 regular-season games with Philadelphia.
Watkins recorded 43 receptions for 647 yards and one touchdown in 2021, his best season. His performance dropped to 33 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 after the Eagles signed wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Five of the seven other wide receivers on Pittsburgh’s roster did not have a reception during the 2023 season. Van Jefferson recorded 20 receptions for 209 yards while with the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams, and Calvin Austin III had 17 grabs for 180 yards and one touchdown as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Between Athens and Philadelphia, Watkins spent three seasons at Southern Mississippi. In his last season in 2019, he topped Conference USA in receiving yards with 1,178 and was named to the all-league team again.
Watkins missed eight games in 2023 due to a hamstring ailment, but he still managed 15 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown.
Last season, former Hoover High School standout George Pickens led the Steelers in receptions with 63 for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. However, Pittsburgh’s next two highest-producing wide outs from last season are no longer with the team.
Last month, the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers after he had 51 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Allen Robinson is a free agent after making 34 receptions for 280 yards last season.
