We will preview every player on the Cardinals roster leading up to training camp. This is about WR Quez Watkins.
The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.
Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook.
This focuses on receiver Quez Watkins.
Quez Watkins background, 2024 season
Watkins enters his first season with the Cardinals and his sixth season overall in the NFL. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2020 by the Philadelphia Eagles and played four seasons for them. In four years, he played in 49 games, starting 25, and he had 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns.
His best season was in 2021, when he had 43 catches for 647 yards and a touchdown.
Last season, after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was cut and spent the season on their practice squad.
Quez Watkins 2025 contract details, cap hit
Watkins signed a futures deal in January after the Steelers’ season ended. His deal is worth $1.17 million but is a qualifying veteran contract, so his cap hit will be $1.03 million if he makes the 53-man roster.
Questions he faces, roster outlook
Watkins is an intriguing option for the Cardinals because of his elite speed, the previous production and his connection to head coach Jonathan Gannon.
However, as many as four receiver spots feel locked in with one or two left to compete for.
Watkins is a bubble player with a shot to make the team, but he will have to show more than guys like Simi Fehoko, Xavier Weaver and 2024 sixth-round pick Tejhaun Palmer.
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