Steelers All 90: Arthur Smith’s Offense Will Allow Quez Watkins to ‘Run Free’

Steelers All 90: Arthur Smith’s Offense Will Allow Quez Watkins to ‘Run Free’

All 90 is a Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 offseason roster. Next is Quez Watkins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reformed the offensive side of the ball this offseason. From a new offensive coordinator, to three new quarterbacks, to an overhaul of the wide receiver room, the Steelers changed a lot since their Wild Card loss to the Bills.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has prior success as a play-caller and expected starting quarterback Russell Wilson has a Super Bowl title under his belt, the receiver room is the biggest question mark as of now.

One of the offseason additions to the room is the speedster Quez Watkins. Coming from a free flowing offense like the Eagles, there was expected to be differences in play-calling and play structure, but for Watkins, that change is a good thing.

“Some of it is new,” Watkins told Alan Saunders of Steelers Now. “In Philly, we ran a lot of 11-personnel, only one tight end. But here, they are trying to get fast guys in space, trying to get us free releases for us to do what we do best.”

Players like Watkins and linebacker Elandon Roberts have touched on Smith’s offensive scheme and how it is different than other places. It involves rushing out of the huddle and up to the line of scrimmage, unique formations and a flurry of pre-snap motions and shifts. With all of that, the team hopes to create “free runs” for their speed guys like Watkins.

“For me, it scares the defense,” Watkins said. “You give me a free run, it’s a lot of things that I can do, a lot of places I can go and it is tough to keep up with me.”

Watkins fits into the fold as a slot receiver more than anything. Over his career, that is where he has played the most snaps, though he is not explicitly locked into being a slot-only player. However, in Arthur Smith’s scheme, it seems likely that Watkins will be someone who stretches the field and will be on the receiving end of some of Russell Wilson’s moonballs down the field.

“I’m just going to continue to do my job and run under it,” Watkins said. “I told [Russell Wilson] the goal is for you to overthrow me. Once you overthrow me, then we can talk.”

As of now, it seems like the Wilson to Watkins connection is flowing as on the third day of OTAs, Watkins made some noise on as he caught a 50-yard deep ball from Wilson. On the play, Watkins torched the defense for a would-be touchdown. Regardless, Watkins is still very raw with speed being his elite trait.

If he can up his game in 2024, Watkins may be a candidate for another contract due to the future outlook of the position. After 2024, the only three guys under contract at the position are George Pickens, Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin.

16 • Quez Watkins, Wide Receiver, Southern Mississippi

6-foot-0, 193 pounds, 26 years old, 5th Season

Acquired: The Steelers signed Watkins as an unrestricted free agent on March 25, 2024. Watkins played his first four seasons in Philadelphia before he agreed to move across the state to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal.

Last Season: This past season, Watkins played in nine games and caught 15 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. His season was limited to just nine appearances due to a hamstring injury. His best game in 2023 came during the Eagles’ Week 17 loss to the New York Giants. In that game, Watkins caught eight of his 11 targets for 93 yards and a touchdown.

In the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Watkins was targeted four times as he hauled in three of them for 12 yards.

Career: The Eagles drafted Watkins with the 200th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Watkins played sparingly as he appeared on the field for just 28% of the Eagles offensive snaps. For a sixth-round rookie, that was decent playing time. In six games as a rookie, Watkins hauled in just over half of his 13 targets for 106 yards and one touchdown.

His sophomore season was his best professional season to date as he caught 43 balls for 647 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, Watkins played 26 snaps of special teams, mostly returning kicks, in 2021. His performance in 2021 earned him his highest overall grade from PFF with a 70.5 rating.

In his third season, Watkins’ role was diminished a bit as his numbers went down in every major category, except touchdowns, In 17 games, Watkins caught 33 of his 51 targets for 354 yards and three touchdowns.

In total, over his first four years, Watkins has racked up 98 catches for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns.

College: Watkins arrived at Southern Mississippi in 2016 but redshirted before becoming a rising star in 2017. As a redshirt freshman, Watkins played in 13 games and hauled in 23 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns.

Watkins’ 2018 season is where he made a name for himself. In 11 games, Watkins hauled in a team-high 72 catches for 889 yards and nine touchdowns. Watkins earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors for his outstanding play following his redshirt sophomore season.

Watkins earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors again in 2019 as he led the conference with 107.1 yards per game. In total, he posted a career-high 1,178 yards in 64 receptions.

In 35 career games at Southern Mississippi, Watkins caught 159 passes for 2,404 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Salary cap and future: Watkins’ deal with the Steelers is just a one-year deal so if he does not work out in Pittsburgh, he can become a free agent following this season. Watkins’ cap hit in 2024 is $1.15 million with $1.13 million of it being base salary. This means if the Steelers decided to let him go midseason, he would not count against the cap in regard to dead money.

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