Quez Watkins stands out with blazing touchdown in Week 1 NFL preseason

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the 2021 NFL preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field. It was the first chance for fans and media alike to get a chance to see new head coach Nick Sirianni and the Eagles’ offense.

One player, who took advantage of his preseason snaps was second-year wide receiver Quez Watkins. Watkins, who had one touchdown last season, has blazing speed and is someone who has made noise at training camp. The former Day 3 selection got the party started for the Eagles’ offense scoring a 79-yard receiving touchdown late in the opening quarter.

Stats

Watkins had one reception (two targets) for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers.

Analysis

The second-year wide receiver had the lone touchdown for the Eagles on a screen pass that quarterback Joe Flacco checked out to on first down. The speedy wideout out of Southern Mississippi got a couple of blocks when he initially made that catch and from there he let his speed do the talking.

His touchdown reception on Thursday night was eerily similar to his lone touchdown that he scored late last season against the Arizona Cardinals. It also came on screen pass, where Watkins got a couple of blocks and accelerated to the end zone. The Eagles tried to target Watkins on quarterback Jalen Hurts’ second offensive drive, where Hurts barely overthrew him on a potential 80-plus yard touchdown reception. With his 4.35 40-yard dash speed, it is not farfetched to think that the Eagles’ starting trio of wide receivers are DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Watkins.

Fantasy implications

Since it’s only Week 1 of the preseason, it’s too early to say what the fantasy implications are for Watkins. But what we can say is with his speed, Watkins may be worth a FLEX play over the course of the regular season.