The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought back former Athens High School standout Quez Watkins for their practice squad.
Watkins signed with the Steelers as a free agent on April 1, but Pittsburgh released the wide receiver last week when it reduced its preseason roster to regular-season limit.
A sixth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft after running the second-fastest 40-yard dash among the wide receivers at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Watkins had 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns in 49 regular-season games with Philadelphia.
But Watkins played in only nine games in his fourth season with the Eagles because of a hamstring injury and finished 2023 with 15 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown.
Each NFL team can have a 16-player practice squad (17 if the team has an International Pathway player). Practice-squad members work just as active-roster players, but they are not eligible to play in the games – with one exception. Each NFL team can elevate two practice-squad players to active status for each game.
The Steelers kick off their season against the Atlanta Falcons at noon CDT Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
After catching 44 passes for 847 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior at Athens, Watkins played three seasons at Southern Miss. He led Conference USA with 1,178 receiving yards in his final season in 2019 and repeated as an all-league selection.
Two other players on Monday’s NFL transactions report have Alabama football roots:
· The Carolina Panthers released linebacker Tae Davis (Oxford) from injured reserve with an injury settlement. Davis is dealing with a foot sprain.
· The Kansas City Chiefs released defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) from their practice squad.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 13:59:00
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