The Eagles beginning slot huge receiver might be going to be Quez Watkins or Olamide Zacchaeus. With that in thoughts, I believed I might take a look at some movie and stats from final season and decide who I believe ought to be the starter, primarily based on final season.
Numbers through participant profiler…
The numbers let you know that Zaccheaus had a much more environment friendly season than Quez Watkins. The massive numbers that stand out to me are the yards per route run, goal separation, and common goal distance. I do know numbers are a product of your offense and your quarterback, however Quez Watkins performed on a far superior offense, and Zaccheaus seems letter in each metric. Let’s check out their 2022 seasons and evaluate the 2. I watched quite a lot of Quez Watkins previous to this season, and I used to be actually disenchanted by how he performed this previous 12 months. I believe he’s a greater participant than he confirmed final 12 months, however the movie is the movie!
+ Finest route is a deep over route from the seam. He excels at this.
This can be a dime. Cross nation dagger to the correct with Quez Watkins and AJ Brown. Quez wins towards man protection and Hurts delivers a strike. I believed Quez performed very well this recreation and stepped up because the third receiving possibility. That is one other glorious timing throw. pic.twitter.com/xjPrtsxlLO
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) November 22, 2022
+ Actually good velocity. One of many quickest within the league. He has the velocity to get vertical and run away from defenders.
+ He flashed the flexibility to climb the ladder and win in contested conditions in 2021. He reveals he can catch the ball and lengthen away from his physique on vertical routes
Phew. What a ball. Wonderful blitz by the Giants who drop each edge defenders of their 5 man entrance and convey a security and linebacker late. They get a free rusher however Hurts simply stands there and delivers an absolute magnificence to Quez Watkins on the out route. That is simply so good. pic.twitter.com/W69ORnKpL3
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 13, 2022
Quez Watkins has actually stepped up since Goedert has gone out. He is been glorious 2 weeks in a row. This can be a implausible throw by Hurts. Places it completely on the again shoulder and the timing from Hurts/Watkins is excellent. Excellent learn and spot throw from Hurts. Find it irresistible. pic.twitter.com/gX9GLAXoAJ
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) November 29, 2022
– Lacks nuance on shorter routes, doesn’t do a ok job promoting the deep routes or closing the hole between himself and the cornerback. He’s terrible at coming again to the soccer.
#13 Somebody get a message to the workers, please cease throwing brief routes to Quez Watkins. Please. It is a actually poor route and it is practically one other INT. This will price this workforce within the playoffs in the event that they do it once more. When the margins are nice, you may’t make errors. pic.twitter.com/Q01xzXne9A
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) January 3, 2023
#4 Similar Hello-Lo play (completely different formation) that led to an enormous play to Smith final week. Cowboys Tampa 2 is ideal towards this play and Minshew is much too late to test it down. Quez would not come again to the ball and will get bullied on the catch level. Good protection, unhealthy offense. pic.twitter.com/k96jMyOThb
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 27, 2022
– Appeared to have just a few psychological errors down the stretch, comparable to operating some poor routes.
#8 I am not within the WR room, however I am satisfied that is on Quez and never Hurts. The movement to 4×1 idea reveals man and Quez ought to be open on the deep over with a great deal of house to run into. He drifts approach too far upfield and would not get his head round. I believe this can be a unhealthy route. pic.twitter.com/Yh3P2FwsA9
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 21, 2022
– He had a catastrophe catching the soccer down the stretch final 12 months. He simply stored dropping balls that he should not have.
#13 I believe Hurts ought to most likely throw this to AJB if he is the first learn… But it surely takes nothing away from the throw. That is elite! Eagles screw up the safety (once more – Sanders/Goedert take the identical defender) and the MIKE comes by means of unblocked. Quez HAS to catch this. pic.twitter.com/6kfDq883EV
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) February 14, 2023
– Doesn’t have the body or measurement to run quite a lot of fast recreation stuff, comparable to slants, curls and many others. Contact impacts him and practically all his greatest performs come from having a free launch.
#14 Double slants vs 2man. Quez would not win his route, will get bullied on the catch level and it ends in an interception. The throw and determination are nice however Quez should do higher. Credit score the DB who makes a implausible play on the ball. pic.twitter.com/kxFR0u5dXJ
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 27, 2022
+ He has actually good brief space burst and quickness. He’s fairly good on the line of scrimmage really and was a lot better at beating cornerbacks shortly on the LOS than I anticipated.
He was higher on the LOS than I anticipated. He is a slot man, however he has some good reps the place he makes use of his quickness to keep away from contact on the LOS. He is efficient on fast slants and once more, I can think about him operating bottom slants on RPOs. pic.twitter.com/WKeWjSrO8s
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
+ Runs some actually spectacular brief/intermediate routes the place his quickness is on present. He runs actually good comebacks, slants, and fast outs.
He is actually clear on these brief hitches and curl routes. He is a distinct profile to what the Eagles have at present and I can think about him operating quite a lot of fast hitches on RPOs on a third and brief. pic.twitter.com/fN41MzNnYi
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
Very late Olamide Zaccheaus fast thread… He was usually utilized in movement to assist him keep away from contact on the LOS. He can create separation and is nice within the brief/intermediate areas. He had a distinct position to Quez Watkins who was extra of a area stretcher for the Eagles. pic.twitter.com/uWAVbHfSqr
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
+ His school studies state that he has horrible fingers, however I didn’t see it on movie. He can pluck the ball away from his physique and appears snug catching in visitors too.
I do know all his school studies say he has horrible fingers, however I did not discover it on movie. He appeared snug catching with our bodies round him and I did not discover any main points with drops. He does typically physique catch which can trigger him points, however nothing appeared terrible. pic.twitter.com/FMKP1KKKxP
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
I anticipated extra of a deep menace, however I got here away extra impressed with him within the brief recreation than anything. His quickness is actually helpful on these sort of performs on third and brief. His brief space quickness and burst may be robust to cowl, particularly when he’s in movement. pic.twitter.com/XyBKByC2xm
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
+ Has the quickness to interrupt tackles after the catch, particularly on shorter routes.
Have a look at the quickness after the catch too. I believe he is actually helpful on these shorter routes due to his availability to make any person miss within the open area. He’s fast reasonably than quick imo. pic.twitter.com/rQxHdenGpy
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
Here is one other instance of him successful on the LOS, this time on the skin and with good use of his fingers. He is all the time a menace to make a defender miss and decide up just a few additional yards after the catch too. pic.twitter.com/JqFa1B6CmM
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
– He’s small at solely 5’8. Simply merely isn’t going to win in contested conditions and he provides the quarterback a really small margin of error.
– He’s quick, however I don’t suppose he’s a vertical burner. He doesn’t have that velocity to run away from defensive backs on deeper routes as persistently has Quez Watkins.
He can completely get vertical, however I believe Quez is a greater deep menace general. Zaccheaus is not as a lot of a vertical burner and I did not see that additional gear that basically good deep threats have. He is fast reasonably than quick. pic.twitter.com/ML5GZ6XFdk
— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) Might 31, 2023
I don’t know if this can be a shock to anybody or not, however I believe Zaccheaus and Quez Watkins are utterly completely different profiles. I believe Watkins is rather more of a area stretcher, a vertical receiver who can stretch the sector with go routes and deep over routes, and Zaccheaus is rather a lot higher within the brief recreation. I really suppose they might each have a task subsequent 12 months in the event that they play properly all through the offseason and will each characteristic in several weeks relying on the sport plan.
I don’t actually perceive what occurred to Quez Watkins down the stretch final 12 months. I do know he suffered a shoulder damage in direction of the top of the season, and I ponder if that affected him fairly a bit. Personally, I believe Quez has a barely greater ceiling than Zaccheaus as a result of he has extra vertical juice in his recreation. Nevertheless, I can’t overlook a few of the drops that he had down the stretch, and his play within the brief recreation was terrible and it actually price the Eagles. He grew to become nearly unplayable in direction of the top of final season.
If we see the identical Quez Watkins that we noticed down the stretch, I believe this job will go to Zaccheaus and he may have a extra productive season and have extra enjoying time. If Watkins can return to 2021 kind, I believe his capacity to essentially get down the sector and his measurement means he could possibly be in for a bounce-back season. On the very least, Zaccheaus gives the Eagles with a large receiver #4 and gives legit competitors for Watkins who didn’t have any final 12 months and continued to play, regardless of his poor play.