Bad news: Sammy Watkins has never fully lived up to his hype. Good news: He’s never been in a situation like this one.
Let’s play a word association game with Sammy Watkins. Think about his NFL career, his hype, his production, his experience, the whole package.
Now stop and pick one word that best-describes his time in the NFL. What did you come up with?
For me, the word was “underachieved.” That wasn’t based in hours of film review or even particularly thorough stat-grinding. That was just my perception of Watkins’ four years in the league. And that word is fair. He has underachieved below his fourth-overall draft pick and his trade to the Los Angeles Rams. But why?
Sammy Watkins has spent his career in situations that have barely even attempted to use him in the most explosive way. He spent his time in Buffalo with Tyrod Taylor, who basically ended up evolving into Alex Smith. Even then, he had 2,000 yards combined in his first two seasons (in only 29 games), averaging roughly 16 yards per reception – almost exactly what Tyreek Hill averaged last year with Alex Smith. He played only eight games in 2016 and was traded to the Rams shortly before the start of the 2017 season and, though he stayed healthy, he never found his role in a intricately-schemed offense.
Now, with a full year of health, a full offseason to acclimate, two other deadly pass-catchers and a cannon-armed quarterback, Sammy Watkins is finally in an environment that his talent can thrive in.
Take the time to look at the tape, and you’ll see a receiver who, last year, was still getting separation and performing with number one receiver traits. He just wasn’t getting the attention or accuracy he needed from Jared Goff. There’s also no reason to believe that Watkins is on the decline. Perhaps surprisingly, Watkins also fits the Chiefs’ youth movement:
It feels like Sammy Watkins has been in the league for a decade, but he and Tyreek Hill are THE SAME AGE! (Both 24.) Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt are 22.
— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) March 13, 2018
This offense would have to ask Travis Kelce to rent a car for them. #Chiefs
The Chiefs have created a thrillingly explosive offense for the 2018 season, and Sammy Watkins can breathe easy knowing that he won’t be asked to turn a conservative quarterback into a gunslinger or to carry lesser pass-catchers to new heights. There’s a pretty easy argument that Watkins is the third-best pass-catcher on this team, despite his price tag. And for Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs fans everywhere, that fact should be absolutely thrilling.
Also on today’s show, we talk about how the Watkins signing impacts Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson. Plus, where do the Chiefs go defensively after signing Anthony Hitchens and tying up cap space in Tuesday’s two big signings?
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