Eagles huge receiver Quez Watkins acquired a textual content message from Jalen Hurts final Thursday.
“When that cellphone rings, be able to reply,” Hurts texted.
Watkins responded, “S—, I’ve been prepared.”
After which in Week 18, with out DeVonta Smith within the lineup, Watkins had his greatest sport of the season. He caught 8 passes for 93 yards and a landing. Though the Eagles misplaced in embarrassing vogue to the Giants, Watkins mentioned his efficiency gave him an enormous enhance of confidence.
Perhaps that’s one small constructive from that sport final week. As a result of the Eagles are possible going to wish Watkins once more within the wild card spherical.
Whereas Smith goes to play on Monday evening, A.J. Brown (knee) was formally dominated out for the playoff opener. And it’s going to take a number of Eagles on offense to switch the manufacturing the manufacturing they’re shedding with out their Professional Bowl receiver on the sphere.
“I believe that is been a big-time energy — or one among our massive strengths as a crew — is the go catchers now we have,” head coach Nick Sirianni mentioned. “And once you take a look at it, you consider A.J., you consider Dallas, you consider [WR] DeVonta (Smith). After which you consider D’Andre (Swift) and the function that he has, as nicely. And I’m not even mentioning Julio (Jones) and people guys, and Quez (Watkins) and OZ (Olamide Zaccheaus), who’ve made performs all year long, as nicely, so excited for these guys to get slightly bit extra alternative.
“Clearly, you all the time miss the contributions that A.J. makes. He is an outstanding participant, however actually excited concerning the alternative. And I do know we’ve acquired – one cause we’re on this sport and on this place is due to the go catchers now we have, along with A.J. Brown.”
The Eagles will definitely nonetheless depend on Smith and Dallas Goedert on this sport. That has all the time been the plan within the passing offense, which has unapologetically been run by Brown, Smith and Goedert all season.
However not less than one different receiver will possible must play an even bigger function. It could possibly be Watkins, who has had a disappointing season once more. It could possibly be Jones, who’s a future Corridor of Famer past his prime. Or it could possibly be Zaccheaus, who made his greatest play on a landing catch in Week 3 in Tampa Bay.
“My function is my function,” mentioned Jones, who’s the NFL’s lively chief in receiving yards. “No matter it’s, I get able to play each week. I don’t stand up for per week or down for per week. It’s the identical each week. They do a terrific job right here. We have now a terrific follow schedule. I simply exit, no matter reps it’s, they deal with us all through the week to have us prepared for the sport.”
When the Eagles signed Jones in mid-October, they had been 5-1 and went on to win their subsequent 5 video games to publish a 10-1 file going into December. Then the wheels got here off. The Eagles misplaced 5 of six video games heading into the playoffs and tumbled to the No. 5 seed.
Jones, 34, mentioned he’s by no means been an enormous talker. However he has tried to be a veteran chief by instance since becoming a member of the crew.
“Don’t crack, don’t break, simply keep collectively,” Jones mentioned. “That’s what we’ve acquired to proceed to do. To win video games, you’ve acquired to do it collectively. No particular person can win a sport. These are the instances the place now we have to return collectively and be nearer and stick with one another. These are instances the place we are able to’t crack. We simply need to exit and play our model of soccer and play collectively.”
Monday will likely be Brown’s first missed sport since becoming a member of the Eagles for the 2022 season. He’s been extremely sturdy as an Eagle and has been a back-to-back Professional Bowler with back-to-back seasons with nicely over 1,400 yards.
And in 16 of 17 video games this season, each Brown and Smith began collectively.
In the meantime, the Eagles haven’t had a constant No. 3 receiver all season. There have been video games the place all three of them have been in that function behind Brown and Smith. Check out their numbers from 2023:
Zaccheaus: 17 video games, 1 begin, 20 targets, 10 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs
Watkins: 9 video games, 5 begins, 21 targets, 15 catches, 142 yards, 1 TD
Jones: 11 video games, 4 begins, 19 targets, 11 catches, 74 yards, 3 TDs
“We have now confidence in our group,” Zaccheaus mentioned.
Final week, when Watkins caught a landing within the fourth quarter of a blowout loss, his landing celebration was making a “preserve speaking” gesture together with his hand.
Watkins was requested about that on Saturday.
“Self explanatory, man,” Watkins mentioned. “I simply exit right here and play ball. I don’t care what no one else says. I hear it however on the finish of the day, I’m going and play ball.”
Watkins says he doesn’t care about what individuals say however he does hear it and he makes use of it too. In his fourth season, Monday evening could possibly be Watkins’ closing sport as an Eagle, as his contract is about to expire.
He’ll not less than have an opportunity once more to show himself.
“I’ve all the time acquired a chip on my again,” Watkins mentioned. “I all the time really feel like I used to be counted out in a way. Simply go hoop. That’s all I can do.”
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