Two games into the preseason, what should fans make of Sammy Watkins’ lack of production?
The Kansas City Chiefs made a giant splash in free agency this past offseason, signing Sammy Watkins to a mega-deal for three years, worth $48 million. Most logical fans and pundits questioned this move, but Chiefs fans in general have become more comfortable with the idea after hearing of Watkins’ exploits in training camp.
Watkins is a freak athlete and while he has struggled with consistency during his career, he has shown flashes of greatness as well. Given Andy Reid’s talent for getting the most out of his players, shouldn’t we see a giant step forward for Watkins in a Chiefs’ uniform? Let’s evaluate this by taking a look at Watkins’ production so far this pre-season.
The Stats
Unfortunately, Watkins has posted a giant goose egg in every category for the 2018 preseason. He has zero catches, for zero yards, and zero touchdowns. In fact, he hasn’t even seemed to be a large part of the game plan, only being targeted a handful of times.
Those few targets include a couple poor passes that he had no chance to catch, and a pass he should have caught but dropped. Obviously, Chiefs’ fans were hoping for more. But, is this something to be worried about? Or, is this simply a player working his way into a complicated system with a variety of weapons?
The Facts
The fact is that Sammy Watkins has only been on the field with the Chiefs for a short time. Three short quarters to be exact. He’s tasked with learning a complex offensive system, one that’s known to be a challenge for even veteran offensive players.
Even more, Watkins is tasked with trying to develop consistency with a new, second-year quarterback while competing for touches against arguably the best tight end in the league, arguably a top-five wide receiver, and a stable of running backs with good hands. Only one of these factors would make it difficult for a free agent to achieve high production quickly, but all three make it nearly impossible.
Simply put, Chiefs’ fans need to give Sammy Watkins time to grow within the system. It’s not uncommon for players to require time to fit within a system, as each NFL team’s offensive system has its own unique set of intricacies.
Whether Watkins will ever live up to the monster contract he received is hard to say. But given time he should be able to contribute not just on the stat sheet, but in how his presence affects opponents’ schemes against the Chiefs. In the end, that might just be his most valuable contribution.