14 Sammy Watkins WR

Watkins (hip) won't practice Tuesday, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Watkins walked out on the field with his teammates to observe practice, supporting the notion that the injury he suffered Monday isn't serious. While he'll likely be held out of Thursday's preseason opener against the Texans, this doesn't seem like anything that will threaten his Week 1 availability.

Watkins was forced out of Monday's practice early due to a hip issue, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

On the plus side, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Watkins' injury isn't major and that the wideout's exit from practice is being portrayed as precautionary. When healthy, Watkins is slated to start opposite Tyreek Hill, with the three-year, $48 million contract the Chiefs handed Watkins this offseason clearly indicative of the big plans the team has for the 2014 first-rounder.

Watkins said Chiefs coach Andy Reid is making him a better player by asking him to learn all the receiver positions in the Kansas City offense, ESPN.com's Adam Teicher reports. "I've never been in an offense like this, around a coach that just feels like he's obsessed with the game and makes you want to be obsessed with it, too, to know more about the offense," said Watkins. "The more you break it down the more you can be available and switching different positions."

In addition to praising his new coach, Watkins is taking a not-so-subtle shot at Sean McVay, who often used the speedy wideout as little more than a distraction to open things up for Todd Gurley, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Despite catching just 39 passes in 15 games with Los Angeles, the 25-year-old comfortably topped the free-agent market at his position this offseason, landing a three-year, $48 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. While Kansas City isn't the best situation for piling up a ton of targets, Watkins should get more looks than he did last year and likely will be efficient with his opportunities in an offense that also has Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and a solid O-line. Watkins already seems to have a strong rapport with Reid and starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, perhaps making a case to challenge Hill and Kelce for the team target lead. It helps that Watkins will have a full offseason and training camp with his new team, after joining the Rams in mid-August last year.

Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Chiefs on Wednesday, receiving a $21 million signing bonus and $30 million in total guarantees, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Dealt to the Rams during training camp last year, Watkins operated as a low-volume deep threat in Los Angeles, catching 39 of 70 targets for 593 yards (15.3 yards per reception, 8.5 yards per target) and eight touchdowns in 15 games. His contract with the Chiefs suggests the team expects him to take on a larger workload, though it will be difficult to match his volume from Buffalo (7.4 targets per game) in an offense that also has to feed Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Last season was a clear disappointment from a statistical standpoint, but Watkins did enjoy a mostly healthy campaign for the first time since his rookie year of 2014, and his downfield presence made things easier for fellow Rams wideouts Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Watkins celebrates his 25th birthday in June and still has time to grow alongside second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

Watkins intends to sign with the Chiefs when free agency opens Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Confirmation of Watkins' plans will come when players can officially sign with teams, but he appears headed back to the AFC after spending last season with the Rams. A theoretical Watkins-Tyreek Hill combination would give quarterback Pat Mahomes a dynamic wide receiver duo as he begins his stint as starter in Kansas City.