The Philadelphia Eagles are hosting veteran wide receiver Quez Watkins for a workout, a league source tells Heavy.
Watkins, 27, spent the first three seasons of his career in Philadelphia, catching 98 passes for 1,249 yard and six touchdowns.
A former sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Watkins moved on after underachieving during his stint with the Eagles and then failed to make the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 53-man roster out of training camp last summer.
This past offseason, Watkins spent time with the Arizona Cardinals but was ultimately released with an injury settlement earlier this summer.
The Eagles already boast a loaded receiving corps, headlined by one of the top duos in the sport, in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, with former first-round draft choice Jahan Dotson making a strong push to solidify his stronghold on the No. 3 job. Earlier this summer, general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles acquired John Metchie in a trade with the Houston Texans.
A reunion with Watkins would be a move to further bolster the veteran depth at the position, but it remains to be seen how effective he could wind up being as he works his way back from the injury that led to his release by Arizona, back on August 10.
Eagles will need more out of A.J. Brown
Mitchell Leff | Getty Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is among the top players at his position.
In the Eagles’ regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Brown was a virtual non-factor for much of the game.
Brown’s first catch against the Cowboys didn’t come until he pulled down a 37-yard completion from Jalen Hurts inside of the two minute warning, to effectively put the game out of reach as the Eagles bled out the clock to seal a victory.
“That’s something I can’t control,” Brown told reporters after the game. “But what I can control is my effort when the ball does come my way.”
One of the most prolific weapons in the sport, the Eagles are going to need Brown to become a bigger piece of the puzzle in the passing game moving forward.
According to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, the Cowboys largely sold out to keep Brown off of the stat sheet.
“They did a good job of matching some of our routes,” Sirianni told reporters. “They did a good job of matching some things and taking away A.J. We had some different things to him that Jalen had to get through some progressions, and I think Jalen did a really nice job getting through his progressions tonight and then made some plays with his legs as well.”
Brown caught 68 passes last season for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns, and was one of the most vitally important offensive pieces powering the Eagles‘ run to the Super Bowl.
How quickly Hurts and Brown get back on the same page could determine just how explosive the Eagles‘ offense can be in their quest for a third Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
Eagles hosting 1,249-yard wide receiver for workout, sources say