Mark L. Baer – USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills made a huge trade with the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft. The deal was to move up to the number four slot so that the team could select wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Watkins was phenomenal during his rookie season catching 65 passes for 982 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was slightly overshadowed by fellow rookies Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, but he still had a terrific season. Watkins figures to be an extremely important part of the Bills’ passing game in 2015.
However, Watkins had to have some offseason surgery to repair a slight tear in his hip labrum back in early February. Watkins supposedly won’t miss too much time this offseason because of the injury, and he has made appearances at OTAs to try to get mentally ready to play. He did mostly individual work because he was limited, and the Bills absolutely need to be cautious with him. If Watkins doesn’t let his hip fully heal, then the injury could linger and cause major issues for him in the future. The last thing the Bills need is for their second best offensive weapon to be injured.
Watkins is the most important receiver on the Bills without a doubt, and without him the passing game would struggle immensely. Aside from Watkins, the Bills have Percy Harvin and Robert Woods, both of whom are solid receivers, but they are not number one options. And although the running game is strong thanks to LeSean McCoy, the team will still need to have a solid passing game to compete for a playoff spot. If Watkins reinjures his hip and cannot play, the Bills’ quarterback will have trouble getting anything going offensively, especially considering how weak the quarterbacks are.
Most reports coming out about Watkins lately have been positive, but the Bills still need to look out for him. They have three months before the NFL season starts, so they have no need to rush Watkins back into action. Sure, it would be nice if he could fully participate in all of the team’s offseason activities, but it should be more important to ensure that their young star can be fully healthy by the beginning of the regular season. Right now, it looks like he’s on track to return by training camp anyway, so moving forward things look good for Watkins.
Jacob Camenker is a Buffalo Bills Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can “like” him on Facebook here, follow him on Twitter @jacobyhorse, or add him to your network on Google.
