Now that Sammy Watkins has been dealt from the Buffalo Bills to the Los Angeles Rams, plenty of questions will arise regarding the dynamic receiver. Here’s what Rams fans should know about their latest addition:
He is a dynamic talent
Sammy Watkins is supremely talented. He has great hands, he runs crisp routes, and he has plenty of speed to burn. Watkins averages 16.1 yards per reception for his career, and a great deal of those yards came on balls thrown well down the field. At Clemson, he was known for racking up yards after the catch on wide receiver screens and other quick-hit routes, but that wasn’t the case in Buffalo. He will help when he’s healthy. Speaking of which...
He has dealt with a ton of nagging injuries in his career
Whether it was his ribs, his ankle, or the infamous foot which cause him to miss half of the 2016 season, Watkins always seemed to be “dinged” in some way. However, aside from the foot injury, which required two surgeries to fully fix, he played through those injuries and was a bright spot in an often poor passing attack. Whereas Robert Woods, his former-turned-current teammate, is more of a grit and guts possession type, Watkins provided the flash and dash plays. He could take the top off a defense even when everyone knew the ball was coming to him, and he could also make top-flight corners look silly on intermediate routes. He battled through plenty for the Bills, and if he’s even 75% healthy, he is an immediate upgrade to any roster.
He appears to be fully recovered from his foot injury
At training camp, Watkins has been planting and cutting seamlessly, and his trademark speed and burst appear to be back. He had a brief injury scare at practice a few days ago, but it turned out that he rolled his ankle. He attributed it to bad footwork, missed a few minutes of practice, and came back just fine. He played well against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, nabbing 4 receptions for 39 yards. He’s ready to roll for the 2017 season.
You got yourselves a good one, Rams fans.