Quez Watkins

Terrance "Quez" Watkins (born June 9, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He signed with Pittsburgh in 2024.

Early life

Watkins grew up in Athens, Alabama, and attended Athens High School. During his junior season, he returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the first two games. As a senior, he was named second team 6A All-State after catching 44 passes for 847 yards and 12 touchdowns. He committed to play college football at Southern Miss over offers from Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Samford.

College career

Watkins redshirted his true freshman season. The following year he finished with 23 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns. As a redshirt sophomore Watkins led the Golden Eagles with 72 receptions, 889 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches and was named First team All-Conference USA. Watkins was again a first team All-Conference USA selection as a redshirt junior after catching 64 passes for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns despite missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension. Watkins announced that he would forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL draft.

Professional career

Watkins was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round with the 200th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was placed on injured reserve on September 6, 2020. He was designated to return from injured reserve on September 29, and began practicing with the team again. He was activated on October 10. In Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, Watkins caught three passes for 40 yards and his first career touchdown reception during the 33–26 loss. In the 2020 season, Watkins recorded seven receptions for 106 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in six games.

Watkins established himself early on in the 2021 season as the wide receiver two for the Eagles. He was placed on the COVID list on December 13, 2021. In Week 2, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had two receptions for 117 receiving yards in the 17–11 loss. In the game, he recorded a 91-yard reception, which was the longest reception by any player in the 2021 NFL season. Watkins had a solid year in 2021, ending the campaign with 43 catches for 647 yards and one touchdown.

In the 2022 season, Watkins finished with 33 receptions for 354 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In 2023, the Eagles reached Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs. In Super Bowl LVII, Watkins had one catch for 8 yards. During the third quarter with the Eagles up by 3 points, and at the Kansas City 42 yard-line, Watkins dropped a pass that would have put the Eagles inside of the ten yard-line. The Eagles ended up opting for a field goal, which extended their lead to six points. However, the Eagles went on to lose the game by a score of 38-35.

On April 1, 2024, Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

During the preseason, he posted one catch for 10 yards. The Steelers then cut him ahead of the 53-man roster deadline on August 27 and re-signed him to the practice squad.