Sammy Watkins takes reps in practice for first time since second foot surgery

Sammy Watkins hit a milestone in his recovery from a second foot surgery during the Buffalo Bills mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday.

Joe Buscaglia of WKBW mentioned Watkins taking part in team drills — for the first time since his second procedure — and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network chimed in:

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote an article trying to pinpoint when Watkins should return from his, at the time, initial foot surgery, based on what occurred with Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant, two other talented receivers who dealt with the same Jones’ fracture.

Because Edelman and Bryant aggravated their foot injuries upon returning to the field two months after surgery, I, with zero medical background, concluded he should wait longer than before playing again.

Last year, a three-month rest would’ve put him at the start of training camp at the end of the July, and he returned in Buffalo’s third preseason outing a month later.

Like Edelman and Bryant, Watkins ultimately needed another surgery on his foot, a procedure he had on January 20.

That means Watkins has had nearly a six-month layoff until his return to the practice field today. The second foot surgery for Edelman and Bryant has yielded fine results. Neither has had any aggravation of the Jones’ fracture since.

The Bills don’t need to rush Watkins’ rehab, but his return to the field half a year after his second foot surgery is undoubtedly a positive development.