Who Should I Start? Quez Watkins or Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Monday, March 25, 5:01 PM

Free-agent wide receiver Quez Watkins is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The 25-year-old was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has not made much of an impact playing behind star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith over the last two seasons. However, he adds a much-needed element of speed to the Steelers' wide receiver room, and he can be utilized as a field-stretcher for Russell Wilson in 2024. Watkins has just 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns through his first 49 NFL games. Expect him to serve as the team's WR3 or WR4 this season. Although Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers will likely heavily target the wideout spot in next month's NFL Draft.

Monday, January 8, 5:25 AM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught three of his five targets for 14 yards in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. The receptions were tied with tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson for the team lead but made for a quiet end to a modest debut season for the Ohio State product. Selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft, there were hopes that Smith-Njigba would replicate the first-year successes of his former college teammates Garrett Wilson and Christian Olave. As it was, Smith-Njigba proved to be firmly entrenched as the third receiver on Seattle's depth chart and was probably lucky to see the amount of work that he did. His production was also hindered by the routes designed for him, as his average depth of target of 5.8 yards was among the lowest in the league. His rookie year will conclude with 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games.