Sammy Watkins held out of practice with rib injury, no timetable for return
The Buffalo Bills need Sammy Watkins to be a star as a rookie, but the No. 4 overall pick is battling a rib injury and will not practice on Monday night and has no timetable for a return, according to Chris Brown from the team’s official website.
Marrone: "When (Sammy Watkins) comes back, I don't know. Unless I know for sure, I'm not going to comment"
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 18, 2014
Marrone on 1st team offense not scoring TD: "We're not close to where we need to be. Is it a concern? Yeah, we need to do better."
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 18, 2014
Watkins may already be the team’s most important player as the former Clemson receiver has been lauded for his eye-popping catches in practice this preseason and should be instrumental in the continued development of quarterback E.J. Manuel.
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The Bills hopes of ending the NFL’s longest active postseason drought could hinge on the health of Watkins who’s mysterious ailment could result in him being held out of the final two preseason games for the Bills. And it is not as if Watkins is in a fight for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Having a healthy Watkins for the regular season opener has to be the most important thing for the Bills at this point as they know what they have in the team’s most talented offensive player. Lining him up against another team and risking a setback and having him out for any regular season action is simply too risky of a proposition at this point.