Sammy Watkins is entering his fourth season in Buffalo, and it's been an injury-prone career for him thus far. He missed three games in 2015, and eight in 2016. The team declined to pick up his fifth-year option, meaning he'll be a free agent after the season. Given what he's meant to the offense when healthy, they're taking a big risk.
Watkins is healthy now. "I don't want to hear no more about my foot," he said after avoiding the PUP list to start training camp. "The foot is fine. I'm healed."
Back in 2015, in his 13 healthy games, Watkins caught 9 TDs -- nearly 40 percent of the team's 23 on the season. Over the last two years, only six wide receivers have had a season where they accounted for a higher percentage of their team's touchdowns. Buffalo has already let Chris Hogan and Robert Woods walk the last two offseasons. If they don't bring Watkins back a year from now, tough to figure where the touchdown receptions are going to come from.
The table below shows the 50 wideouts who have accounted for at least a quarter of their team's TDs in either of the last two seasons. Watkins would be missed in Buffalo offense.
| WRS AT LEAST 25% OF TEAM TDS, 2015-2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | I.TD | T.TD | %TD |
| 2015 | Tavon Austin, St.L. | 5 | 11 | 45% |
| 2015 | Brandon Marshall, NYJ | 14 | 33 | 42% |
| 2016 | Mike Evans, T.B. | 12 | 29 | 41% |
| 2015 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 14 | 34 | 41% |
| 2015 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 14 | 35 | 40% |
| 2015 | Jeremy Maclin, K.C. | 8 | 20 | 40% |
| 2015 | Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 9 | 23 | 39% |
| 2016 | Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 10 | 26 | 38% |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 10 | 26 | 38% |
| 2015 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 8 | 21 | 38% |
| 2015 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 11 | 29 | 38% |
| 2016 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 12 | 33 | 36% |
| 2015 | Eric Decker, NYJ | 12 | 33 | 36% |
| 2015 | Odell Beckham, NYG | 13 | 36 | 36% |
| 2016 | Kenny Britt, L.A. | 5 | 14 | 36% |
| 2016 | Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 14 | 40 | 35% |
| 2015 | Jordan Matthews, Phil. | 8 | 23 | 35% |
| 2016 | Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 7 | 21 | 33% |
| 2016 | Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 6 | 18 | 33% |
| 2016 | Anquan Boldin, Det. | 8 | 24 | 33% |
| 2016 | Kenny Stills, Mia. | 9 | 27 | 33% |
| 2015 | A.J. Green, Cin. | 10 | 31 | 32% |
| 2016 | Dez Bryant, Dall. | 8 | 25 | 32% |
| 2016 | Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 6 | 19 | 32% |
| 2015 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 6 | 19 | 32% |
| 2015 | Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 6 | 19 | 32% |
| 2015 | Cole Beasley, Dall. | 5 | 16 | 31% |
| 2016 | Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 9 | 29 | 31% |
| 2016 | Sterling Shepard, NYG | 8 | 26 | 31% |
| 2016 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 7 | 23 | 30% |
| 2016 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 12 | 40 | 30% |
| 2015 | Allen Hurns, Jac. | 10 | 35 | 29% |
| 2015 | Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 4 | 14 | 29% |
| 2015 | Ted Ginn, Car. | 10 | 35 | 29% |
| 2016 | Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 7 | 25 | 28% |
| 2016 | Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 8 | 29 | 28% |
| 2015 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 9 | 33 | 27% |
| 2015 | Kenny Britt, St.L. | 3 | 11 | 27% |
| 2016 | Terrelle Pryor, Clev. | 4 | 15 | 27% |
| 2016 | DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 4 | 15 | 27% |
| 2015 | Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 9 | 34 | 26% |
| 2015 | James Jones, G.B. | 8 | 31 | 26% |
| 2015 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 9 | 35 | 26% |
| 2016 | Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 5 | 20 | 25% |
| 2016 | Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 5 | 20 | 25% |
| 2016 | Allen Robinson, Jac. | 6 | 24 | 25% |
| 2016 | Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 4 | 16 | 25% |
| 2016 | Adam Thielen, Minn. | 5 | 20 | 25% |
| 2016 | Steve Smith, Balt. | 5 | 20 | 25% |
| 2015 | Travis Benjamin, Clev. | 5 | 20 | 25% |
--Andy Richardson