The Philadelphia Eagles may not have to rely entirely on DeVonta Smith as a rising playmaker in 2021 if Quez Watkins keeps this up.
Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Thursday’s preseason matchup, Watkins hauled in a bubble screen pass from Eagles backup quarterback Joe Flacco, broke to the outside and won the foot race to the end zone for a 79-yard touchdown:
Watkins nearly had another huge play, but a deep throw from Jalen Hurts was just out of his reach. Otherwise, he might’ve had a 98-yard TD to go with the amazing score you can see above.
Many are anticipating Smith — the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and 10th overall draft pick — will team with Hurts to give Philadelphia a new, dynamic passing game combination. Expectations are rather low for other members of the Eagles’ receiving corps.
But with those low hopes comes an opportunity for someone to rise to the occasion, and Watkins is putting on a show out of the preseason gates. He was a sixth-round pick out of Southern Miss last year, but maybe a new coaching staff and a full offseason program is just what Watkins needed to realize his obvious potential.
Keep an eye on how Watkins performs during the rest of the exhibition phase. We might have the early makings of an explosive weapon who could make Philly’s passing attack more dangerous than anticipated.
More must-reads: