Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been targeted 13 times through three starts in 2015, but that's not nearly enough in his eyes. Instead the second-year receiver believes he should have at least 30 targets in those three starts.
Sammy Watkins tells the Bills exactly what he needs
Watkins thinks that Tyrod Taylor should always throw him the ball if he’s in a one-on-one situation.
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Watkins, 22, has dealt with a calf injury that kept him out of the last two games, but isn't expected to miss a Week 6 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. With his impending return to the lineup coming, Watkins made some straight-forward demands about his role in the offense.
The 2014 first-round pick told The Buffalo News that the Bills are making him look bad and they can solve the problem by targeting him much more often.
I need the ball at least 10 times -- I need 10 targets -- and I’ll be fine with however many yards I get. And that’s what I addressed in talking with my agent. We reached out to a couple people and tried to pull some strings like, ‘Hey, I need my targets. You came up to draft me and I’m not getting targets -- that’s a problem. You’re making me look bad and you’re making yourself look bad. Why not make both of us look good?’”
As a rookie, Watkins was targeted 128 times in 16 starts, so he received an average of eight targets per game. In a 40-32 loss to the New England Patriots, Watkins was targeted eight times by Tyrod Taylor, but in the other two games combined, he was thrown to just five times.
According to Watkins, top receivers like Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Green get thrown to when they're in a one-on-one situation, but Taylor shies away from giving Watkins those chances.
“I can look at film and his eyes go straight that way and I’m not getting looked at, at all. That’s when I get frustrated. When I have one-on-one coverage, go to me. I don’t care what’s going on over there. I don’t care if he’s open. When I get one on one, just target me.”
While Watkins was the first receiver selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, three of the other five first-round picks finished their rookie seasons with more than 1,000 yards. With 65 receptions for 982 yards and six touchdowns, he finished behind Beckham, Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin in all three categories, managing only to best New Orleans Saints rookie Brandin Cooks.
Watkins was limited in practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but said he's ready to play on Sunday regardless if it means causing further injury. He told reporters "If it pops, it pops," but Bills head coach Rex Ryan took a more reserved approach and told reporters that experts will be the ones who decide if his calf is well enough for a return to the field.
The Bengals are one of five remaining undefeated teams, but are No. 22 in the NFL at defending the pass.
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