The up-and-down saga of Sammy Watkins’ foot is back on the upswing. As reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, a visit to a specialist for a second opinion yielded positive news:
After seeing Dr. Anderson, the recommendation for #Bills WR Sammy Watkins was no surgery, just rest & rehab. Late-season return is possible
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2016
As Rapoport says, the fact that an additional surgery isn’t necessary is a major plus. As we noted when examining past instances of this type of foot injury, both Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant ended up going under the knife a second time, which prematurely ended their seasons.
Still, the entire situation will remain nebulous. While Watkins is eligible to be reactivated from injured reserve after eight weeks, the refrain from doctors has been that his issue is one of pain management. Resting his foot may alleviate the pain, or he could need the full recovery of an offseason in order to feel healthy again. Even if he returns pain-free, Watkins will need to work his way back to game conditioning.
Expectations should remain low, given the way this injury has put stress on the receiver, but if it continues to trend positively, we can’t deny our excitement at the thought of a resurgent Watkins leading a playoff push!