Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles might be down a key piece in their receiving corps, with the news that Quez Watkins suffered a hamstring injury during the first half of Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Watkins was forced to exit the game after hurting his hamstring. His return to the game is questionable, per 94WIP's Eliot Shorr-Parks.
Although by no means a superstar, Watkins has carved out a nice role for himself in the Eagles' offense in the past two seasons. In 2021, the 2020 sixth-round draft pick caught 43 balls, and followed that up with 33 receptions in 2022. Although his reception and yardage totals were down, he managed to set a career-high with three touchdowns caught.
As the third receiver in an offense that features A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Watkins plays an underappreciated but critical role. Watkins played in 79% of the snaps of offense in Philly's Week 1 game, serving as a third or fourth option for Hurts in the passing game.
Hurts targeted Watkins twice last week, and the wideout in turn produced two catches for 17 yards, including a first down.
An injury is unfortunately not something new for Watkins. The fourth-year receiver dealt with a hamstring injury during the preseason. That injury was significant enough for him to miss several practices, and he didn't play in any preseason games.
Hamstring injuries have the nasty habit of lingering, and players often have trouble returning from them quickly. Reaggravation is not uncommon.
Hopefully Watkins' latest ailment is not too serious, and he can get back on the field for the second half.