Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsFriday, July 10, 2026

Sammy Watkins has the best and worst day at Bills training camp

Sammy Watkins torched defenders and suffered his first injury scare at training camp on Monday. He’s fine.

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins is already a dominant player in the NFL ... at least during training camp. Watkins took to the practice field on Monday, primarily against the second-team defense, but he made the most out of every snap and people couldn't stop talking about just how good he looked.

Fortunately, a few of the folks gushing over Watkins’ performance did provide some pictures and video of him torching the aforementioned defenders. The first video is below, and it shows Watkins immediately leaving his man behind to catch a pretty nice deep ball in stride:

Bills fans will want to see an awful lot of that next season -- not one of their defenders getting burned, mind you, but Watkins making plays like that. Buffalo traded up to the fourth overall pick to draft Watkins, considered by some to be the best player in the draft. He'll pair with quarterback E.J. Manuel, who is entering his second season in the league.

Here’s another video, which might be the same play:

Unfortunately, it wasn't a flawless day for the young receiver. Watkins didn't appear to drop any passes or make any egregious errors, but he did go down at one point with an injury. It's worth noting that this occurred after catching a pass between three defenders, which might just become commonplace during the season given Buffalo's relative lack of receiving targets since trading Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers.

Twitter erupted in fear for a good 20 minutes or so, speculating as to what the injury could have been. Some suggested a concussion, others said a neck injury and others said he probably just took a finger to the eye, which seems likely given the above picture. Whatever the case, Watkins did eventually return to practice and looked just as good before the session ended.

Crisis averted, Bills fans -- you can breathe now. Watkins is fine. Here are a couple more pictures of him from Monday to make you feel better:

See More:

More in NFL

NFL
5 NFL coaches who are surprise hot-seat candidates in 20265 NFL coaches who are surprise hot-seat candidates in 2026
NFL

These NFL head coaches may be in trouble if they don’t live up to expectations this season

By Bill Williamson
NFL
NFL fans predict AFC division winnersNFL fans predict AFC division winners
NFL

Who will be the AFC division winners this season? NFL fans weigh in

By Mark Schofield
NFL
Rams rookie Ty Simpson opens up on challenges learning Sean McVay’s offenseRams rookie Ty Simpson opens up on challenges learning Sean McVay’s offense
NFL

Sean McVay has rookie QB Ty Simpson ‘drinking from a fire hydrant’

By Mark Schofield
NFL
Why NFL teams want super-safeties with Nick Emmanwori’s versatilityWhy NFL teams want super-safeties with Nick Emmanwori’s versatility
NFL

Caleb Downs, Dillon Thieneman, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are the NFL’s three new do-it-all safeties. Here’s why they’re so important to the league right now.

By Doug Farrar
NFL
Brendan Sorsby gets more bad news, this time from the CFLBrendan Sorsby gets more bad news, this time from the CFL
NFL

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has hit another hurdle on his road to the NFL

By Mark Schofield
NFL
NFL breakout candidates at every position in 2026NFL breakout candidates at every position in 2026
NFL

A team of NFL players poised to have breakout campaigns in 2026.

By Jarrett Bailey