Despite dealing with multiple injuries last year, Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins still managed to make his mark. The 2014 No. 4 overall pick managed to catch 65 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns. Although those aren't quite the numbers you'd expect from a top five pick, Watkins clearly displayed above average talent and ability for the position. This year, he expects those numbers to rise as he enters training camp in peak physical form.
"I got time to let my body heal," Watkins told The Buffalo News. The second-year pass catcher underwent surgery for torn labrum in his hip back in February. He's been resting and preparing for the season ever since. "And I got away from football."
Watkins produced six games last season with at least 75 receiving yards. This year he hopes to be more consistent and his improved healthy will be a major advantage.
"I think, when I came in fresh out of college, you're still tired, coming off a long season, bowl game, training for the scouts. Your body's all broken down because you're doing so much trying to maintain it. In this offseason, I just rested. I had to rest. I had to sit at home, stretch.
"And now my body feels great. I feel like I'm 17."
Watkins was forced to deal with the unsteady play of EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton under center last season. Although injuries took their toll, Watkins' modest rookie numbers were likely impacted by the lack of a playmaker under center. The hope is that Matt Cassel will bring some much needed stability to the position this year, but his role in the offense is still up in the air.
Regardless of who is taking snaps at QB for the Bills, Watkins has high hopes for the 2015 season.
"You never know. I might get a thousand yards this year, I might get 900. You just don't know how it's going to play out because we've got a great running back" in LeSean McCoy. "We've got Robert Woods. We've got Marquise Goodwin. We've got Percy Harvin. We've got Charles Clay. So many pieces that you don't know who's going to have the better year. You might have Percy with a thousand yards. And if we're winning, that's fine.
"You want 10 or 12 touchdowns. You want over a thousand yards. You want 80-90 catches. But you still have to be truthful and say, 'Hey, we've got another wide receiver that's just like you. "We've got Robert Woods, who's great. You've got a tight end that's probably going to get 700 or 600 yards. A running back that might rush for 1,500 or 1,300 yards. So you've just got to be truthful to yourself. I understand that."
