Pittsburgh Steelers pass-catchers accounted for 260 receiving yards during the preseason opener against the Houston Texans. Of those 260 yards of production, wide receiver Quez Watkins contributed zero.
USA Today Sports Steelers Wire writer Curt Popejoy was critical of Watkins on August 10 after the dud of a debut, stating that Watkins is now on the roster bubble in his eyes.
“If you are not going to have any impact in the passing game, you have better not mess up two punts if you want to make the team,” Popejoy argued. Adding: “Quez Watkins was pretty awful against the Texans and might not make it to the start of the season.”
In case you missed the game, Watkins coughed up one punt from Tommy Townsend, handing the ball back to the Texans. On another punt, Watkins elected to settle for what was described as a “bad fair catch” decision by Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora.
MUFFED PUNT = TEXANS RECOVERY ‼️
📺: NFL Network/ABC13
To put it mildly, it was a nightmare performance from Watkins — as members the Steelers community already began calling for him to be cut on social media.
Pittsburgh did make a couple of roster moves on August 10 (more on that below), but they didn’t involve Watkins. Assuming he remains with the team, he’ll need to have a much better showing during the Steelers’ second and third preseason outings if he wants to make the initial 53.
Calvin Austin & Scotty Miller Help Their Case Inside Steelers WR Corps
With Watkins trending south, fellow wide receivers Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller put in solid performances against Houston.
Austin led the Steelers in receiving yards with 49 off of two receptions, and he would have added a touchdown to that stat line if third-string quarterback Kyle Allen didn’t miss on a wide-open fade route in the back corner of the end zone.
As for Miller, he led the Steelers in catches with three. The veteran slot receiver was also just behind Austin in yardage with 47 through the air.
Aside from those two, there were good moments from George Pickens and Van Jefferson — the current projected starters on the outside — during their brief usage but the only other notable highlight in the passing game was a 34-yard reception by Dez Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick will likely be in direct competition with Watkins for a backup role on the outside, so his emergence would be doubly unfortunate for the latter.
Steelers Sign New DT & LB After Injuries on the Defensive Side
As noted above, there were a couple of Steelers roster moves on the NFL transaction log on August 10. Steelers Depot relayed them for fans on X.
“The Steelers waived LB Easton Gibbs on Saturday and signed DL Marquiss Spencer and LB Luquay Washington. They placed NT Breiden Fehoko on Reserve/Injured, per NFL Transaction sheet,” the account informed.
Washington was one of four linebacker tryouts on August 9. He’s an undrafted rookie that began his NFL journey with the Kansas City Chiefs this spring and early summer.
Washington spent five years at Central Connecticut State University from 2019 through 2023. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds on the college’s website, with 110 career tackles (16.5 for a loss), 7.0 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 5 pass breakups.
Spencer is a 6-foot-4, 295-pound former seventh rounder that has bounced around the league since 2021. He’s only appeared in one regular season NFL outing despite spending time with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
The two additions replace Gibbs and Fehoko — who both suffered recent injuries. The latter’s season is officially done after his placement on the long-term injured reserve.
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Steelers WR Identified as Cut Candidate After ‘Pretty Awful’ Effort vs. Texans