The Eagles opened up two spots on the active roster Sunday evening by placing safety Will Parks and wide receiver Quez Watkins on Injured Reserve. Under the new rules for 2020, the Eagles can bring back any player placed on Injured Reserve after Sunday at 4 PM following three games.
Parks, a Philadelphia native and Germantown High star, signed with the Eagles in the 2020 offseason after four years in Denver. A former sixth-round pick out of Arizona, Parks registered 134 tackles, four tackles for loss, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, and a sack in 62 regular-season games with the Broncos. He was coveted by the Eagles for his versatility in being able to line up at both cornerback and safety. Parks was ticketed to be the third safety in the dime and big nickel packages. He was also set to open the year as a key contributor on special teams. He brought energy and passion to the field during Training Camp practices, something that certainly helped his status in the building.
The Eagles kept six safeties on the initial 53-man roster: Parks, Marcus Epps, Rudy Ford, Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills, and K'Von Wallace.
Watkins was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2020 out of Southern Mississippi. The 6-0, 193-pound wide receiver looked the part in adapting to the NFL with his outstanding athleticism. Watkins was the second-fastest wide receiver (4.35 40-yard dash) at the NFL Scouting Combine. At Southern Mississippi, Watkins posted 159 receptions (second in school history) for 2,404 yards with 17 touchdowns. He was a two-time, first-team Conference USA selection. He led Conference USA with 1,178 receiving yards and was second with 18.5 yards per catch as a senior.
The Eagles went deep at wide receiver, partially due to the injuries to Watkins, Alshon Jeffery, and Jalen Reagor. The team still has J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, fellow rookie John Hightower, DeSean Jackson, and Greg Ward.
