Bills' Sammy Watkins breaks foot, expected to be back for regular season
The Bills have now lost two key players to injuries
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1 min read
The Bills' offseason capsized and plunged nose-first into Lake Erie on Monday.
Roughly two hours after the Bills' announcement that first-round pick Shaq Lawson will have pre-emptive surgery on his shoulder and will reportedly miss up to six months hit the airwaves, news of another injury emerged. Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News is reporting that wide receiver Sammy Watkins broke his foot and had a screw inserted roughly a month ago. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the surgery occurred about three weeks ago.
The Bills confirmed the news on their website, adding that he's not expected to miss any regular-season games. According to reports, Watkins might be back in time for training camp. Key word: might.
According to Dunne, "the team is hopeful" of that possibility. Per Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo, Watkins is expected to miss six to eight weeks. But Schefter reported that Watkins is expected to miss the preseason. So, clearly, there are conflicting timetables for Watkins' return.
The bad news is that Watkins might be the team's most dynamic playmaker and broken foots can be complicated (see: Julio Jones). I'm not suggesting Watkins' issue is as severe as Jones' injury, but it's still concerning, especially when considering the multiple reported timelines.
The Bills, who finished 8-8 last year, were shaping up as an intriguing team that, at the very least, figured to be competitive. But if the injury impacts Watkins into the regular season, it'll have a substantial impact on the offense. Last season, Watkins' production was inconsistent, but he still broke the 1,000-yard mark and scored nine touchdowns in 13 games.
The best wide receivers over the last half of the season? #Bills Sammy Watkins at #2 pic.twitter.com/CpEDCzYJZo
-- Neil Hornsby (@PFF_Neil) May 16, 2016
It's worth remembering that the Bills lost receiver Chris Hogan in free agency when the Patriots stole him away. Hogan finished fourth on the team in receptions. So, if Watkins' injury lingers into the regular season, then tight end Charles Clay and receiver Robert Woods might be forced to act as Tyrod Taylor's primary targets while LeSean McCoy carries the ground game.
Hopefully, for Buffalo's sake, it doesn't come to that. Behind Woods, the Bills' receiving group includes track star Marquise Goodwin (20 career catches), Greg Salas (46 career catches), and Jarrett Boykin (57 career catches), among other small assets like Greg Little and Leonard Hankerson.
