Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins has spent the offseason recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, something that allowed him to slow down after a whirlwind first year in the NFL.
Watkins thinks that’s a positive, saying that his body “feels great” heading into training camp and that he was able to spend time focusing on the coaching he was getting from new receivers coach Sanjay Lal over the last few months. Watkins says the wideouts were “kind of limited” by the coaching last season, but that Lal’s coaching has given him a greater understanding about how to succeed in the NFL.
Watkins’s individual success is going to be tied to quarterback play and that may not work out well for him statistically unless someone wildly overperforms the meager expectations for the Bills signal callers. Watkins isn’t letting it limit his expectations for the team, though.
“Winning, playoffs, championship,” Watkins said, via the Buffalo News. “We’ve got a great team and great coaches. I mean, there’s just no way we shouldn’t be in the playoffs or win a championship. I mean, with the team and coaches and staff that we have, and what they’re doing to bring us together, I think that there’s no doubt that we should win our division and be in the playoffs. It’s a problem if we don’t.”
The defense and collection of skill position players definitely look ready to make a run at a playoff spot in Buffalo. It’s tough to win with the offensive line and quarterback play playing at a low level, however, and the Bills have to get more from those spots before they can mount a serious playoff push.