Tag: Sammy Watkins

What They Are Saying: Tigers in the NFL, Week 7

Per usual, there was plenty of buzz on Twitter about former Clemson standouts during Week 7 of the NFL season. Check out what they are saying about some former Tigers in the league: Let’s have a day, 16! #NYGvsJAX | #DUUUVAL …

Per usual, there was plenty of buzz on Twitter about former Clemson standouts during Week 7 of the NFL season.

Check out what they are saying about some former Tigers in the league:

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Packers activate WR Sammy Watkins off injured reserve

The Packers activated wide receiver Sammy Watkins off of injured reserve on Saturday, clearing his way to play Sunday in Washington.

The Green Bay Packers activated wide receiver Sammy Watkins off of injured reserve on Saturday, likely clearing his way to play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

Watkins missed the last four games with a hamstring injury. The Packers designated him for return on Wednesday and had him practice all three days this week. On Friday, coach Matt LaFleur said Watkins’ status was “up in the air” for Sunday, but his activation on Saturday should mean he’s available for the Packers offense against the Commanders.

However, the Packers did list him on the injury report as questionable. His status won’t be known until 90 minutes before kickoff when inactives are announced.

The timing for Watkins’ return is good because the Packers won’t have Randall Cobb (ankle, IR) or Christian Watson (hamstring) on Sunday.

The Packers didn’t sign Juwann Winfree from the practice squad or elevate Travis Fulgham from the practice squad, suggesting Watkins could play a big role against the Commanders.

During the first two games of 2022, Watkins caught six passes for 111 yards, including a 55-yard catch against the Bears in Week 2.

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Status of Packers WR Sammy Watkins ‘up in the air’ for Week 7 vs. Commanders

The Packers are still deciding if veteran receiver Sammy Watkins will be activated from injured reserve and play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. 

The Green Bay Packers are still deciding if veteran receiver Sammy Watkins will be activated from injured reserve and play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

Coach Matt LaFleur said the Packers want to see how Watkins feels after practicing all three days this week before making a decision on his playing status for Sunday.

“It’s kind of the up in the air right now, I’d say,” LaFleur said Friday. “He’s gotten through practice the last couple days. We’ll see how he responds. Certainly, I think we’d like to get him out there, but at the same time, you don’t want to put a guy at further risk. We’ll just see where he’s at.”

Watkins, who has a long history of hamstring and lower-body injuries, was designated for return on Wednesday, opening the team’s 21-day window to bring him back to the 53-man roster.

The Packers can activate Watkins from injured reserve on Saturday and have him available on Sunday. He’s missed the last four games while recovering from a hamstring injury.

Getting back Watkins this week would provide a much-needed boost for an offense that won’t have Randall Cobb (ankle) or Christan Watson (hamstring). Both were ruled out on Friday.

If Watkins doesn’t return, the Packers would be down to Allen Lazard, Romeo Doubs, Amari Rodgers and Samori Toure at receiver, although Juwann Winfree – who is out of elevations – could be signed from the practice squad. Travis Fulgham is also available on the practice squad.

Through the first two games of 2022, Watkins caught six passes for 111 yards, including a three-catch, 93-yard performance against the Bears in Week 2.

Packers WR Sammy Watkins to practice Wednesday, status for Sunday unclear

The Packers designated WR Sammy Watkins for return from injured reserve on Wednesday. He missed the last 4 games with a hamstring injury.

The Green Bay Packers will designate wide receiver Sammy Watkins for return from injured reserve, but his availability for Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders is currently unclear.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Watkins will practice with the team on Wednesday.

“Yeah, he’ll be out there in a limited capacity,” LaFleur said.

Watkins has been on injured reserve with a hamstring injury over the last four weeks. During the first two games, he caught six passes for 111 yards.

In terms of playing this week, LaFleur wasn’t sure.

“We’ll see where he’s at. I don’t think anybody is ready to say that he’s going to play this week,” LaFleur said.

The Packers now have a 21-day window to activate him from IR to the 53-man roster. Until he’s activated, Watkins does not count against the 53-man roster limit.

LaFleur expressed excitement in what Watkins’ return can do for the passing game and run game.

“When he does come back, he does bring a lot to the table, in terms of just the experience of being out there, he knows what to do, he plays the game really fast, there’s not a lot of hesitation in his game, he’s extremely powerful,” LaFleur said. “He helps us, not only in the pass game, but he’s one of the best blockers I’ve been around as well. Couple him with guys like Allen (Lazard), that’s a formidable duo on the perimeter.”

Watkins broke out with three catches for 93 yards in the Packers’ win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Twice, Aaron Rodgers hit him on an in-breaking route off play-action. Late in the game, they connected on a 55-yarder to help clinch the win.

Getting Watkins back this week would be good timing considering the injury situation of Randall Cobb, who is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an ankle injury.

LaFleur said linebacker Krys Barnes, who is also eligible to come off injured reserve, will not practice on Wednesday.

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Former Tiger WR placed on IR

A former Clemson wide receiver has been placed on injured reserve. Green Bay Packers WR Sammy Watkins was placed on IR Saturday due to a hamstring injury. Watkins will miss at least the next 4 games. Oct. 23 will be the earliest he can return. So …

A former Clemson wide receiver has been placed on injured reserve.

Green Bay Packers WR Sammy Watkins was placed on IR Saturday due to a hamstring injury. Watkins will miss at least the next 4 games. Oct. 23 will be the earliest he can return.

So far Watkins has been one of the most consistent receivers for the Packers this season, totaling six receptions for 111 yards in two games.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Packers place WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring) on injured reserve

Packers WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring) will miss at least the next four games after being placed on injured reserve on Saturday.

The hamstring injury suffered by Sammy Watkins will cost the Green Bay Packers wide receiver at least four games, beginning with Sunday’s showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team placed Watkins on injured reserve on Saturday, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four games before he’s eligible to return to the 53-man roster.

Watkins, 29, leads the team with 111 receiving yards after two games. He caught three passes for 93 yards during the Packers’ 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2.

Watkins, who has a concerning recent history with hamstring injuries, was already ruled out for Sunday. He’ll miss games against the Buccaneers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and New York Jets before he can return.

Watkins missed games in both 2019 and 2020 and then missed the start of training camp because of hamstring issues. Before the season, Watkins said he needed to stay healthy to revive his career in Green Bay, but he lasted only two games before another season-altering injury struck again.

The Packers will rely more on rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs with Watkins out for the next month.

To fill Watkins’ roster spot, the Packers signed running back Patrick Taylor to the active roster from the practice squad. The team also elevated receiver Juwann Winfree from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 3, providing extra depth at receiver.

Ex-NFL receiver on a former Tiger: ‘He still has juice’

A former NFL wide receiver, who spent the majority of his professional career playing with the Green Bay Packers and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, believes a former Clemson wideout will be Rodgers’ go-to guy by the end of this season. James Jones, …

A former NFL wide receiver, who spent the majority of his professional career playing with the Green Bay Packers and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, believes a former Clemson wideout will be Rodgers’ go-to guy by the end of this season.

James Jones, the NFL’s receiving touchdowns leader in 2012 who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay two seasons prior, says former Tiger and current Packer Sammy Watkins will emerge as the No. 1 receiver for Rodgers as the season progresses.

Watkins reeled in three receptions for a game-high 93 yards during the Packers’ 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” this past weekend, helping Green Bay put up points on three separate scoring drives.

“I’m gonna say Sammy Watkins (will be the go-to receiver). And the reason why I say Sammy Watkins is because Sammy Watkins, as you can see from (Sunday) night, he still has juice,” Jones said on Up and Adams with Kay Adams.

“He still can run routes, he still can make plays after the catch. I think it’s just a matter of time before him and Aaron Rodgers’ chemistry gets on the right page.”

Once that happens, Jones says, Watkins will see plenty of targets.

“When you see a lot of targets and have a lot of chances to make plays, you’re going to find yourself making some plays,” Jones said. “And I see Coach LaFleur (Packers head coach Matt LaFleur) finding ways – hey, he’s the No. 1 read on this play — finding ways to get him involved. But I think Sammy is that guy.”

Watkins, who signed a one-year deal with the Packers this past offseason, has recorded 354 receptions for 5,170 yards and 34 touchdowns over his NFL career (2014-22) with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Packers since being selected by the Bills with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

“He’s explosive, can run really good routes,” Jones said. “I think he’ll be the No. 1 receiver for the Packers when this thing is all said and done.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Explosive play proves Packers WR Sammy Watkins can still run

Packers WR Sammy Watkins was going 20.48 miles per hour on his 55-yard catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Bears.

Sammy Watkins might be 29 years old and a veteran of over 100 NFL games, but the Green Bay Packers receiver proved he can still run on his 55-yard reception against the Chicago Bears in Week 2.

According to Next Gen Stats, Watkins hit 20.48 miles per hour on the play, making him the 13th fastest ball-carrier in the NFL during Week 2. His speed was on par with a long touchdown run by Lamar Jackson against the Dolphins and a long touchdown catch by Quez Watkins against the Vikings.

Off a run fake, Watkins scooted past cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Eddie Jackson and into the clear, and Aaron Rodgers found him wide open downfield for the big play. The explosive gain set up a field goal that gave the Packers a three-score lead in the fourth quarter, essentially sealing the win.

The straight-line speed is still there for Watkins, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds coming out of Clemson in 2014.

“To get behind the defense and get that much separation, that was huge,” receiver Randall Cobb told Packers.com. “To make those plays in critical moments like that, that’s going to be a big piece of our offense, and we’re going to need him.”

Watkins finished with three catches for 93 yards. The Packers scored on all three drives that included a Watkins catch. He showed off some short-area explosiveness on two in-breaking routes, one for 14 yards and another for 24, in the first half.

Two of Watkins’ teammates were actually timed as faster in Week 2: Jaire Alexander and Christian Watson. Alexander was going 20.62 miles per hour when he intercepted Justin Fields late in the fourth quarter, while Watson was going 20.6 miles per hour on his 9-yard catch on a touch pass from Aaron Rodgers. For Watson, this is his second time in two weeks creating one of the fastest times of the week.

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‘Man, we really got a special person’: Aaron Rodgers a big fan of Sammy Watkins

A former Clemson wide receiver played a big part in his NFL team’s primetime victory on Sunday. Sammy Watkins reeled in three receptions for a game-high 93 yards during the Green Bay Packers’ 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears on NBC’s “Sunday Night …

A former Clemson wide receiver played a big part in his NFL team’s primetime victory on Sunday.

Sammy Watkins reeled in three receptions for a game-high 93 yards during the Green Bay Packers’ 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

Watkins, who signed a one-year deal with the Packers this past offseason, helped his new team put up points on three separate scoring drives.

The 29-year-old had a 14-yard reception on second-and-6 during Green Bay’s opening drive, which resulted in a first-quarter field goal. He later made a 24-yard reception on first down toward the end of the first quarter to move the Packers into the red zone before they ultimately scored a touchdown on the first play of the second period.

Last but not least, in the fourth quarter with the Packers up 24-10, Watkins hauled in a 55-yard catch on second-and-11 from the Green Bay 12-yard line to help his team put the game on ice. The Packers ended up kicking a field goal that made it a three-score game with 2:28 left and essentially sealed the win.

Watkins’ new quarterback – future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers – is certainly a big fan of the former Tiger, both as a player and person.

“I really enjoy Sammy,” Rodgers said. “I had heard some things about him that made me think that was going to be the case. But I do really enjoy Sammy a lot. We had a real nice text conversation this week about a number of different topics I’m not really going to get into. But the feeling I got afterwards was man, we really got a special person who understands his role and is going to help us at some point.

“He made three really nice plays today. One kind of got us going on first down early in the game, one got us down in the red zone and then obviously backed up, really nice call by Matt (Packers head coach Matt LaFleur) and nice tight wobbler by me. But good route by Sammy getting open.”

Watkins’ 93 receiving yards marked his most in a game since the 2021 season opener, when he was playing with the Baltimore Ravens and had 96 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Watkins’ 55-yard catch was his longest since the 2019 AFC Championship Game, when Watkins had a 60-yard reception against the Tennessee Titans as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I thank the coach for dialing that up,” Watkins said of Sunday’s 55-yard play. “I think that was one of my top plays in the last two or three years, to go deep on that pass. So, it felt really good.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

WR Sammy Watkins sparks 3 scoring drives for Packers in win over Bears

Sammy Watkins caught three passes for 93 yards as the Packers beat the Bears on SNF. All three catches came on scoring drives.

Veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins provided a spark on three different scoring drives for the Green Bay Packers during Sunday night’s 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears.

The 29-year-old caught a 14-yard pass on 2nd-and-6 to get the Packers into Bears territory on the first drive, which ended in a field goal. He caught a 24-yard pass on first down late in the first quarter to get the Packers into the red zone, and the offense eventually converted the opportunity into a touchdown. Finally, he got behind the coverage on a play-action pass and hauled in a 55-yard catch, putting the Packers in motion on a drive that ended in a victory-clinching field goal late in the fourth quarter.

“He made three really nice plays today. One got us going early in the game, one got us down in the red zone, and then, backed up, really nice call by Matt, nice tight wobbler by me, and a nice route by Sammy to get open,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

In all, Watkins – who played 44 snaps – caught all three of his targets for 93 yards.

Rodgers said he had a “real nice” text message conversation with Watkins during the week.

“The feeling I got afterwards was, man, we really got a special person who understands his role and is going to help us at some point,” Rodgers said.

Watkins’ 93 receiving yards were his most in a game since the 2021 season opener. And his 55-yard catch was his longest since the 2019 AFC Championship Game.

“I loved the way Sammy played,” Rodgers said.

Watkins wasn’t the only veteran receiver who made an impact. Allen Lazard caught a touchdown pass in his return to the field, and Randall Cobb converted a big third down in the first half and finished a 20-yard catch on an off-schedule play.

In all, Rodgers completed 13 of 16 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown when targeting wide receivers against the Bears.

Watkins, who signed a one-year deal with the Packers, caught three passes for 18 yards but wasn’t much of a factor in the season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. A week later, the veteran provided a much-needed spark as the Packers got the passing game going and eventually buried the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”

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