Working on the Free Agency story for the magazine, I noticed the Buffalo Bills didn't do very much this offseason. They didn't add anyone of note, unless you count hiring Rob Ryan, until the NFL Draft, while losing several contributors. And now a couple of the ones they have are facing missed time.
Sammy Watkins broke his foot and recently had surgery on it. The Bills are hopeful he'll be ready for training camp, and Watkins himself is talking positively, but it's not certain. Depending on the severity of the injury, it's the kind of thing that could be an issue into the preseason, and the team won't want to rush him back. The linked article notes that foot injuries can trouble athletes for a while.
We had Watkins very high on our 2016 board just a few days ago, but I expect he'll be ranked more conservatively by the time the magazine goes to press. Watkins, in his young career, has been great when on the field, but has already had rib, hip and calf injuries. And now this. Considering what else the Bills have at receiver (and having lost Chris Hogan and Percy Harvin in the offseason), it's a major worry for their bottom-5 passing game. The No. 2 is currently Robert Woods.
As if that wasn't enough, the Bills also announced yesterday that top pick Shaq Lawson will undergo shoulder surgery. That's a four- to six-month recovery timetable, which will definitely cost him the entire preseason and probably the start of the season at a minimum.
Recapping, the main cog in Buffalo's passing game, such as it is, should probably be considered questionable for the start of the season, while their top pick, expected to juice up a pass rush that flopped a year ago, is doubtful at best. And the team's only had one rookie minicamp so far.
Ugly start for Buffalo.
--Andy Richardson