Pro Football Focus sent out a list on their social media account on Twitter this week. It regarded the all-time best Buffalo Bills wide receivers.
That is, in the PFF era.
The football analytics outlet began in 2006, so no disrespect to Andre Reed and others. They just weren’t around then.
But there were some other pretty solid wideouts that have suited up for the Bills in that time frame. Stefon Diggs is at the top of that ranking and could continue to add to his successes.
Not only did he become the team’s first-ever first-team All-Pro, he signed an extension this offseason. As long as his partnership with quarterback Josh Allen continues to grow, there’s something special in the makings there.
But even without great quarterbacking some Buffalo receivers have stood out during PFF’s day.
How about Stevie Johnson or Lee Evans? Fan favorites during the drought.
Then… there’s Sammy Watkins. A good rookie year that turned into a bummer.
Regardless, those four were the ones that took home the best grades for Bills wide receivers in the PFF era. Check out their numbers below:
Highest graded Bills Wide Receivers during the PFF era
1️⃣ Stefon Diggs: 90.2 2️⃣ Steve Johnson: 82.5 3️⃣ Sammy Watkins: 82.0 4️⃣ Lee Evans: 80.0 pic.twitter.com/Jijauguvfg
Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay shared where he thinks he’s improved the most heading into his third NFL season
The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver group is one that will have to prove themselves over the course of the 2022 season. With the departures of Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Miles Boykin, the team will now turn to players such as Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay James Proche II and Tylan Wallace, each of which has shown flashes over the course of their short NFL careers.
Each of those players will need to step up this upcoming season for quarterback Lamar Jackson, including Duvernay. When talking to the media on Wednesday, the former University of Texas star was asked where he believes he’s improved the most heading into his third NFL season, sharing that his overall games is something he feels like he’s gotten better, but wants to continue to grow.
“Yeah, I mean, just overall game, you know. Just route-running, catching, you know just flying around playing fast. I think those are the things I’ve continued to try and improve on and things I need to continue to improve on to just keep elevating my game, you know, outside of special teams, you know, and get on bigger receiver roles and things like that.
Duvernay has had success at wideout, and now he can build on it with what likely will be more playing time this season. Through two years at the professional level, the wide receiver has caught 53 passes for 473 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in 32 games. Duvernay was also voted to the 2021 Pro Bowl as a return specialist and was named as a First-Team All-Pro as a punt returner.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is very familiar with former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Packers in April. LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2017 when …
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is very familiar with former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Packers in April.
LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2017 when the Rams traded for Watkins, and he proved to be a good acquisition for them as he ended up recording a team-high eight touchdown receptions — one shy of his career high of nine with the Buffalo Bills in 2015, his second NFL season.
Now that Watkins and LaFleur are back together again in Green Bay, the head coach expects the former fourth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft to play a prominent role in the Packers’ offense this season.
Although Watkins has been plagued by injuries throughout his professional career — and got hurt again last season, when he had a career-low 27 catches, 394 yards and one touchdown in his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens — LaFleur doesn’t think the 28-year-old wideout’s ability has declined a bit since their time together in LA, based on what he’s seen from Watkins in practice this offseason.
“Obviously we have history going back to LA together, so that definitely gives you a pretty good idea of what he’s capable of doing,” LaFleur told reporters last week. “I don’t think his game has fallen off at all since we were together in 2017. A little bit has been maybe a little bit lack of opportunity. But I think he’s a guy that’s out there working hard, and he’s going to be a big part of our offense.”
LaFleur isn’t the only member of the Packers’ organization who has been hyping Watkins up this offseason. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said last month that he is “fired up” about Watkins, while general manager Brian Gutekunst said in April he believes the ninth-year NFL veteran has “some juice still left in him.”
Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, said last week that he “was 100% on board” with the Packers signing Watkins and that “he has everything right in front of him to have as productive of a year as he wants to.”
Watkins, who has played with the Bills (2014-16), Rams (2017), Kansas City Chiefs (2018-20) and Ravens (2021), is certainly happy to be in Green Bay now, as well.
“I think this is probably one of the best situations I’ve probably ever been in my career,” he said last week, “to come play with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, one of the best coaches, one of the best organizations and probably the winningest organization in the league, and to get this opportunity is really a blessing. Because I did nothing last year, I was hurt, and to get a call from Matt and this organization kind of revived me, and hopefully I can have a healthy season and play hard and win a ton of games.”
For his NFL career, Watkins has 348 catches for 5,059 yards and 34 touchdowns.
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Sammy Watkins is excited about another NFL opportunity but is feeling the pressure to produce at a high level on his third team in the past three years.
Former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins is entering his ninth year in the NFL, and he believes he still has something to prove.
Signing a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers in April, Watkins will play for his third team in the last three years after stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. After failing to reach over 500 receiving yards in the past two seasons, he feels pressure to return to being a consistent playmaker.
“I told the coach my back is against the wall,” Watkins said. “You know, my career hasn’t been what I projected to be, and it’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games.”
Watkins’ statement came after his newest quarterback Aaron Rodgers acknowledged the importance of having players on a roster that feel like they have something to prove.
“I facetimed him when he signed his contract,” Rodgers said. “I knew that he was somebody that we had targeted and we were interested in, and I was 100 percent on board with that. I think it’s important you get guys that have a lot to play for, and I think Sammy [Watkins] has the opportunity to continue and travel down a new path in his career that we can help him here.”
Watkins was the first receiver taken off of the board and the No. 4 overall selection in the 2014 draft. In his first two years in the league, he had 125 combined receptions for 2,029 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Since then, his most receiving yards in a season was 673 in 2019.
The Buffalo Bills drafted Watkins with high expectations, as he had one of the most dominant careers in Clemson history. In his three years as a Tiger, Watkins had 3,391 career receiving yards, a program record that still holds to this day. Now with the Packers, Watkins will have an opportunity to produce at that same high level alongside former Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers.
This offseason, after getting hurt again last season and not catching a pass after Week 13 in his lone campaign with the Baltimore Ravens, former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins was sitting on the couch legitimately worried that his NFL career …
This offseason, after getting hurt again last season and not catching a pass after Week 13 in his lone campaign with the Baltimore Ravens, former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins was sitting on the couch legitimately worried that his NFL career could over, and he wouldn’t get signed by another team following yet another season in which he was injured – something that has unfortunately been a common theme throughout his career.
“Last year I got hurt again, and I’m thinking, I’m sitting on the couch like, ‘Man, I’m going to be out of a job,’” Watkins said to the media Wednesday. “… After injury after injury, you kinda get worried. What is my destiny? What team is going to pick me up?”
But then, just when he thought an NFL team might not come calling, he did in fact get a call – and it was from one of the league’s most historic and successful franchises in the Green Bay Packers.
“I’m thinking like, ‘Man, I’m on the couch getting fat. I’m at 220 pounds. Like, man, am I going to ever get that call?’” Watkins said. “And then to get the call, it’s definitely changed my whole outlook on coming into this season and how I want to play, and I just can’t wait to get started.”
The Packers ended up signing Watkins to a one-year deal in April, and he is certainly grateful to be in Green Bay, where he hopes to revive what has been an injury plagued career since he was drafted in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
“Things happen. I can’t stop injuries – what I can try to do is prevent them,” Watkins said. “I think my career has been pretty good. I’ve got a Super Bowl. But I’m here trying to revive my career and play at the highest level and be the best I can.”
Due to a slew of different injuries, Watkins hasn’t played in more than 14 games in any of his NFL seasons with the Bills (2014-16), Los Angeles Rams (2017), Kansas City Chiefs (2018-20) and Ravens (2021), and he has only one 1,000-yard receiving season, which came with the Bills in 2015 (1,047).
Still, Watkins has had a productive NFL career overall, totaling 348 receptions for 5,059 yards and 34 touchdowns in 99 games (91 starts), and he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV championship team in 2019.
While Watkins told reporters Wednesday that his career “hasn’t been what I projected it to be,” he feels he’s in a great spot with a prestigious organization in the Packers surrounded by head coach Matt LaFleur and a future Hall of Famer in quarterback Aaron Rodgers to catch passes from.
“I told coach, ‘My back is against the wall,’” Watkins said. “My career hasn’t been what I projected it to be. It’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games. And fight to stay healthy — that’s been the knock on my career, was staying on the field, and I think this is the best place to stay healthy and stay on the field and catch a lot of balls.”
“I think this is probably one of the best situations I’ve probably ever been in my career,” he added, “to come play with one of the best quarterbacks in the league, one of the best coaches, one of the best organizations and probably the winningest organization in the league, and to get this opportunity is really a blessing. Because I did nothing last year, I was hurt, and to get a call from Matt and this organization kind of revived me, and hopefully I can have a healthy season and play hard and win a ton of games.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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Packers WR Sammy Watkins knows he needs to stay healthy in 2022. Watkins: “I pray to God I have a healthy season.”
Another injury had Sammy Watkins overweight and thinking his NFL career could be over. He’s got another chance to slim down and produce with the Green Bay Packers, but the veteran receiver knows he must stay healthy and be available to get his career turned around.
“That’s been the knock on my career, staying on the field,” Watkins admitted Wednesday.
Watkins, who turns 29 years old next week, has played 13 or fewer games in five of his eight NFL seasons. He missed six games during the 2020 season and four more last year. Of the 129 total regular-season games since being drafted fourth overall in 2014, Watkins has played in 99, meaning he’s missed roughly 25 percent of his total games at the NFL level.
Constant injuries can wear down a player and dry up employment opportunities.
Watkins admitted he was up around 220 pounds while recovering from last year’s injury but said Green Bay could be a place where he can “revive his career.” He’s down in the 215-pound range now and wants to play closer to 210. He knows he can’t stop injuries, but he’s going to do everything he can to prevent them.
“Just do everything in my might and power to stay on the field,” Watkins said. “When I’m on the field, I can ball, I can catch the ball, I can score. I’m a dominant player. But the key is staying on the field.”
Watkins said his “back is against the wall” because his career so far hasn’t met his own expectations, mostly due to injuries. But he thinks playing with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay could be the “best situation he’s been in” during his NFL career.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games and fight to stay healthy,” Watkins. “To get this opportunity is a blessing…hopefully, I can have a healthy season and play hard and win a ton of games.”
Watkins believes he has a lot to prove. He hasn’t produced more than 500 receiving yards since 2019.
On Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers expressed confidence in opportunities being available for Watkins. Coach Matt LaFleur said earlier Wednesday that Watkins would be a “big part” of the Packers offense in 2022. His experience could be valuable in Green Bay as the Packers attempt to replace Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the passing game.
After last season, when he caught only 27 passes for the Baltimore Ravens, Watkins wasn’t sure where his career would go or if it would even continue.
“Last year I got hurt again, and I’m thinking, I’m sitting on the couch, I’m gonna be out of a job. To get that call (from the Packers), it’s like, I have another opportunity, another chance, to come in and play hard and stay healthy,” Watkins said.
Might a full season playing with the four-time MVP rejuvenate the career of a top-five pick from the 2014 season? Only if he’s on the field. Watkins is a man desperate to avoid injury and play a full year.
When the Green Bay Packers signed former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal in April, Aaron Rodgers was fully behind the organization’s move. The star Packers quarterback spoke this week about his excitement to bring Watkins in …
When the Green Bay Packers signed former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal in April, Aaron Rodgers was fully behind the organization’s move.
The star Packers quarterback spoke this week about his excitement to bring Watkins in as part of Green Bay’s receiving corps, saying he was “100% on board” with the signing of Watkins.
“I FaceTimed him when he signed his contract. I knew that he was somebody we had targeted and we were interested in, and I was 100% on board with that,” Rodgers said, via Matt Schneidman, who covers the Packers for The Athletic. “I think it’s important you get guys who have a lot to play for, and I think Sammy has the opportunity to continue and travel down a new path in his career, that we can help him here as he continues to improve and gets an opportunity.”
Watkins spent the 2021 season with the Baltimore Ravens, posting 27 receptions for 394 yards and a touchdown.
The former Clemson All-American has also played for the Chiefs (2018-20), Rams (2017) and Bills (2014-16) since being selected by the Bills in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
For his NFL career, Watkins has 348 catches for 5,059 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Now he’ll have the chance to catch passes from a 10-time Pro Bowler, four-time NFL MVP and future Hall of Famer in Rodgers, who has already taken a liking to Watkins and sees plenty of opportunities ahead for him in Green Bay’s offense this season.
“The most important thing for receivers and pass-catchers and ball carriers is opportunities. And there’s definitely going to be opportunities for him to make plays for us in this offense,” Rodgers said. “I love the disposition, I really enjoy the person, and I think he has everything right in front of him to have as productive of a year as he wants to.”
Aaron Rodgers on signing Sammy Watkins: “I was 100% on board with that. I think it’s important you get guys who have a lot to play for, and I think Sammy has the opportunity to continue & travel down a new path in his career … I love the disposition. I really enjoy the person.” pic.twitter.com/fAX0UWXFIm
Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.
Aaron Rodgers on new Packers WR Sammy Watkins: “There’s definitely going to be opportunities for him to make plays in this offense.”
Aaron Rodgers is certain that veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins will get the chance to be a productive player for the Green Bay Packers during the 2022 season.
The Packers quarterback was on the field and working with Watkins for the first time during Tuesday’s minicamp practice.
“There’s definitely going to be opportunities for him to make plays in this offense,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “I think he has everything right in front of him to have as productive a year as he wants to.”
Watkins, who caught just one touchdown pass for the Baltimore Ravens last year and hasn’t produced more than 500 receiving yards since 2019, should get a legitimate shot at being a starter for the Packers in 2022. Rodgers grouped Watkins, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb together atop the depth chart at receiver, with young players such as rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs competing with others for opportunities this early in the summer.
The Packers have a lot of targets to replace. Gone are Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who combined for 224 total targets last season. Watkins may get one of the first chances to gobble up a few of those targets from Rodgers.
“Excited about Sammy. Made some plays today,” Rodgers said. “It’s good to see him out there. He looks the part.”
Minicamp is off to a good start. According to Bill Huber of SI, Watkins made a one-handed catch on a ball thrown behind him during a live period. Jaire Alexander was in coverage.
Rodgers said he knew the team wanted Watkins and backed the signing fully. He also believes landing in Green Bay could help revitalize Watkins’ career.
“I knew he was somebody we targeted and we were interested in, and I was 100 percent on board with that,” Rodgers said. “It’s important, you get guys who have a lot to play for. I think Sammy has an opportunity to continue and travel down a new path in his career, that we can help him here as he continues to improve and gets opportunities.”
Being a veteran with 99 games played at the NFL should help Watkins get on the field in Green Bay, where the Packers are attempting to replace Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling while also developing three rookie draft picks at the position.
Early on, Rodgers and Watkins are clicking.
“I love the disposition. I really enjoy the person,” Rodgers said.
Watkins signed a modest one-year deal to join Rodgers and the Packers. Now on his third team in three years, Watkins has found what could be a best-case scenario. The Packers need help at receiver and have targets to replace but also have a four-time MVP at the controls. This is Watkins’ chance to make the most of an opportunity.
Jason Vrable is pumped up to be working with Sammy Watkins again. Vrable, the Green Bay Packers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, got to know Watkins when he played for the Buffalo Bills from 2014-16, when Vrable was on the Bills’ …
Jason Vrable is pumped up to be working with Sammy Watkins again.
Vrable, the Green Bay Packers’ wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, got to know Watkins when he played for the Buffalo Bills from 2014-16, when Vrable was on the Bills’ staff.
Now, after Watkins signed a one-year free agent deal with the Packers this offseason, Vrable is reunited with Watkins. He knows what the former Clemson wide receiver is capable of doing on the field and is certainly happy to be back on the same team with him.
“I mean, honestly, what’s funny is he’s been a free agent a couple of times now,” Vrable said to the media this week. “So, I’ve wrote up Sammy for the reports with Gutey (Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst) and those guys. I told them, I’ve been with Sammy, I know how he can catch, I know how strong he is, a lot of the good things he can do. So, I was with him for that time.”
After being drafted by the Bills out of Clemson with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Watkins battled injuries early in his NFL career and has since been with four different teams (Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and now the Packers).
Watkins had career lows in catches (27), receiving yards (394) and touchdowns (one) with the Ravens last season and hasn’t reached 700 receiving yards since posting the lone 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in 2015 with the Bills.
Still, Watkins has had a productive NFL career. Since 2014, he ranks No. 7 in yards per reception among NFL players with 300 or more catches, while he is one of five wide receivers in the league with 300-plus receptions, 5,000-plus receiving yards, 30-plus receiving touchdowns and an average of 14.5-plus yards per catch since 2014.
The former Tiger All-American also played a key role on the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV championship team in 2019, and Vrable feels the 28-year-old still has plenty left in the tank to offer the Packers now that he is in Green Bay.
“I talked to Sammy about it the other day,” Vrable said. “I said, the way that he was running some routes and catching, it reminded me of him when he first walked onto the field. So, the biggest thing with him had been some injuries, if you looked at the thing. But he knows he’s going to work as hard as he can. He’s here doing all the workouts right now and conditioning, feels good where his body’s at. One thing you’ll see with him is he plucks the ball different. He has hands that you’ll hear the pluck, and running through catch and his play strength – there’s a reason why we drafted him that high. He’s had a lot of, I’d say, successful years in his career. That Kansas City Super Bowl run was him in the playoffs, when they were doubling Tyreek (Hill), he had a one-on-one and he was winning those, when you watch the tape.
“So, I’m fired up about him. He’s learning the playbook. He said to me, ‘Man, it’s different. I’ve been in four systems in the last four years.’ So, he’s like, ‘Just getting back to what you coach…’ He’s like, ‘Vrabs, it’s been fun hearing you coach the same stuff then as now,’ and he knows the details. So, he’s in a good place right now, and I’m really excited about him.”
Not only is Vrable high on Watkins as a player, but Vrable loves who Watkins has matured into as a person as well.
“We went out to dinner, we broke some bread,” Vrable said. “We got to talk, catch up, hear about his three kids, and just good old times. Just see where he’s been and his maturity has just been exceptional. He was just a young rookie before and now he’s a grown man with a family and just living life the right way and trying to do as much as he can to get back and get another Lombardi, which he’s one of the few guys that has held one up that I’ve been around. So, that’s kind of his goal. And like I said, Sammy’s just smiling. He’s happy to be in a building where he feels a good fit right now. So, I’m fired up he’s here.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.
Former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins could be in danger of being cut after the packers loaded up on receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers in April, but despite the move, Watkins is not a sure-fire lock to make the roster.
The nine-year veteran’s contract is one year for up to $4 million based on incentives, and with the Packers loading up on receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft, there won’t be a lot of open spots at the receiver position.
The first pass catcher taken in a receiver-rich 2014 draft, Watkins just joined his third team in three years and has only surpassed 50 receptions once in the past six seasons. Second-rounder Christian Watson headlines the Pack’s three-receiver draft haul, so could be pretty tough for Watkins to survive the final cutdown coming out of the preseason.
As Davis mentioned, Green Bay drafting three receivers in this year’s draft puts pressure on Watkins. Along with the three rookie pass-catchers, Packer veterans Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are favorites of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, so if all five make the final roster, there may only be one or two open spots at wide receiver. Add in former Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers, who had significant playing time as a returner, and Watkins is in real danger of being cut.
The good news for Watkins is that, outside of Cobb, he has the most experience of all receivers currently on Green Bay’s roster. With such a young receiving room, the Packers may want Watkins to stay and provide Aaron Rodgers with a reliable weapon.
In 13 games with the Baltimore Ravens last season, Watkins had 394 yards and one touchdown on 27 receptions. All-Pro receiver Davante Adams is no longer with the Packers, so Watkins has the opportunity to fill his shoes and be a perimeter threat.
