Quez Watkins Bio
Terrance “Quez” Watkins is an American professional football wide receiver who has spent time with several National Football League (NFL) franchises. He is currently listed as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the organization that originally drafted him out of the University of Southern Mississippi. Standing 6 feet 0 inches tall and listed at 193 pounds, Watkins is known for his straight-line speed and downfield playmaking ability, traits that made him one of the more intriguing late-round picks of the 2020 draft class. Across his professional career, he has contributed as a rotational receiver and special-teams player while continuing to develop as a pass catcher.
Early Life and Background
Watkins was born on June 9, 1998, in Athens, Alabama, and grew up in the same north Alabama community. He attended Athens High School, where he emerged as one of the state’s most explosive playmakers at the wide receiver position. During his junior season, he returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the team’s first two games, demonstrating the speed that would later define his professional profile. As a senior, he was named second-team 6A All-State after catching 44 passes for 847 yards and 12 touchdowns, drawing recruiting interest from a number of Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
Coming out of high school, Watkins was regarded as a three-star prospect with significant upside as a vertical threat. Despite receiving scholarship offers from Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, and Samford, he chose to play his college football at Southern Miss, where he felt his skill set could thrive in a pass-heavy offensive scheme. His commitment to the Golden Eagles set the stage for the most productive stretch of his football career and ultimately paved the way for his entry into the NFL.
Path to American Football
Watkins enrolled at Southern Miss in 2016 and redshirted his true freshman season, using the year to adjust to the speed and physical demands of collegiate football. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in a reserve role and finished the year with 23 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns, providing a glimpse of his future role as a primary receiving option. The following season, he broke out as the Golden Eagles’ leading receiver, posting 72 catches for 889 yards and nine touchdowns and earning First-team All-Conference USA honors. That campaign established him as one of the most productive wideouts in Conference USA.
As a redshirt junior, Watkins was again a First-team All-Conference USA selection despite missing the team’s first two games due to a suspension. He finished the season with 64 receptions for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns, reinforcing his status as a legitimate NFL prospect. After the 2019 season, he announced that he would forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and enter the 2020 NFL Draft, confident that his combination of size, speed, and production would translate to the professional level.
Quez Watkins Career
Early Career (2020)
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Watkins in the sixth round with the 200th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was placed on injured reserve early in his rookie season before being designated to return and later activated in October. In Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, he caught three passes for 40 yards and recorded his first career receiving touchdown during a 33-26 loss. He finished his debut campaign with seven receptions for 106 receiving yards and one touchdown across six games, a modest but encouraging start for a late-round rookie.
Philadelphia Eagles Breakthrough (2021–2023)
Watkins established himself early in the 2021 season as the Eagles’ number two wide receiver opposite the team’s top target. In Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, he produced two receptions for 117 receiving yards, highlighted by a 91-yard catch that stood as the longest reception by any player during the 2021 NFL season. He closed the year with 43 catches for 647 yards and one touchdown, cementing his role as a vertical threat in the offense.
In 2022, Watkins appeared in all 17 games and recorded 33 receptions for 354 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. The following season, he was part of an Eagles roster that reached Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, though Philadelphia ultimately fell 38-35. During that Super Bowl, Watkins caught one pass for eight yards and was involved in a critical third-quarter moment when a dropped pass at the Kansas City 42-yard line prevented the Eagles from extending a potential scoring drive.
Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals Era (2024–2025)
On April 1, 2024, Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent. During the preseason, he posted one reception for 10 yards before being released ahead of the 53-man roster deadline and subsequently re-signed to the Steelers’ practice squad. On January 16, 2025, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Arizona Cardinals, but he was placed on injured reserve in early August and released eight days later. On September 24, 2025, Watkins returned to the Philadelphia Eagles on a practice-squad deal before signing a reserve/future contract on January 12, 2026.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Watkins’s career is his 91-yard reception during the 2021 season, the longest catch by any NFL player that year. He also appeared in Super Bowl LVII as part of the Eagles’ receiving corps, a milestone reached in only his third professional season. His two First-team All-Conference USA selections at Southern Miss remain among the most notable individual honors of his playing career.
Quez Watkins Career Wins
Across his NFL career, Watkins has been credited with 98 receptions for 1,249 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns through the 2025 season, according to verified team statistics. While he has not yet been recognized with major individual NFL awards, his college accolades include two First-team All-Conference USA selections in 2018 and 2019, the highest honors given to Southern Miss wide receivers during that span.
Other Wins and Performances
At the high school level, Watkins was a second-team 6A All-State selection after his senior season at Athens High School in Alabama. His return touchdowns during his junior year also served as early signatures of the speed that has continued to define his professional profile.
Quez Watkins Family
Personal Life
Watkins maintains an active presence on social media and is widely known by the nickname “Quez,” a shortened form of his middle name. Public details about his family life remain limited, and he has not publicly shared extensive information about parents, siblings, or other relatives beyond his upbringing in Athens, Alabama.
2025 Season Performance
Watkins began 2025 with the Arizona Cardinals on a reserve/future contract signed in mid-January, but an injured-reserve placement and subsequent release in August ended his time in Arizona. He returned to the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad on September 24, 2025, rejoining the organization that drafted him in 2020. His familiarity with the team’s offensive system and special-teams schemes positioned him as a depth option at wide receiver for the remainder of the season.
Although his 2025 statistical production has been limited due to his practice-squad status, Watkins’s return to Philadelphia reflects the organization’s continued belief in his developmental upside. With the Eagles competing in a competitive NFC East division, his role is expected to focus on special-teams contributions and readiness as an emergency receiver. Looking ahead, his reserve/future contract signed in January 2026 ensures he remains within the Eagles’ organizational plans as he continues to pursue a larger role in the NFL.