By james art The Birmingham Stallions have returned a key offensive piece, signing WR Austin Watkins to the roster for the 2025 UFL season.
Austin Watkins Jr. returns to the Stallions.
The former UAB Blazer spent 2023 on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad and this NFL preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watkins won a championship with the Birmingham Stallions in 2023. #GiddyUp pic.twitter.com/Zrmzoes15W
— BirminghamSports (@BirminghamSport) October 31, 2024
Austin Watkins played in the USFL in 2023, performing well despite some injuries along the way. He finished the year with 197 receiving yards and a touchdown. In fact, his tally was Birmingham’s first since the 2023 USFL season.
J’Mar Smith is back! How about this 61-yard dime to Austin Watkins to start @USFLStallions season?@jMar_Smith has one of the best moon balls around #USFL. This was laid out in full here. Absolute beauty. pic.twitter.com/T9gCrOF2bo
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) April 16, 2023
Watkins’ speed has made him a dangerous threat for Birmingham when healthy. After winning the USFL Championship, Austin was signed by the Cleveland Browns. He earned a practice gig with the team after impressing in the preseason.
TOUCHDOWN AUSTIN WATKINS! The former #USFL Champion with @USFLStallions made two big catches on that drive, the second being a touchdown.
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SPRING. FOOTBALL. WEIGHT. pic.twitter.com/th1juwXH4O
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) August 4, 2023
What’s unique about this story is that Austin is a local product. He played college football at UAB, so he is very familiar with the football fans in Birmingham.
Most recently, Watkins spent the 2024 NFL preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had four catches for 33 yards, but was released during cuts.
Now that Watkins is back on the free agent market, general manager Zach Potter has opted to bring him back for another season as a Stallion. While the quarterback position is still not sorted out, there is no doubt that Austin will fit right back into Skip Holtz’s offense.
What do you think of Austin Watkins re-signing with the Birmingham Stallions after a year off? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord!
