Sammy Watkins is taking it slow in his return from foot surgery.
The Buffalo Bills' top receiver suffered a broken bone in his foot and had a screw inserted in April. The plan was for Watkins to be ready for training camp, but the wideout said Wednesday he's unsure about whether he'll participate at all before the regular season.
Watkins added that he's not positive when he suffered the injury. He's been seen at Bills workouts in a walking boot.
"Just something happened and I went and got checked and we figured out it was a stress fracture," Watkins said via The Buffalo News on Wednesday. "And it's doing great."
Earlier Wednesday, the Billstweeted out Watkins saying his boot will come off Thursday and that he "has to be careful and take this recovery slow. The goal is regular season."
"It's probably the best thing that happened, because it was a stress fracture. I could have broke my whole foot. Something crazy could have happened coming back (for offseason workouts), so I'm just happy to be here and healthy."
It makes perfect sense for Watkins to take it slow. As we saw last season with Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, foot injuries can linger and disrupt a full season if a player isn't fully recovered and in shape before returning.
Coach Rex Ryan echoed Watkins' comments, saying he not sure if the receiver will be ready for training camp, but not worried.
"All I know is that Sammy won't miss time in the regular season," Ryan said, via the Buffalo News.
Watkins' health is key for the Bills' passing attack. The go-to receiver struggled early in the season with injuries and his rapport with quarterback Tyrod Taylor before heating up down the stretch (five 100-yard games in the final nine contests).
Taylor was criticized last season for not targeting Watkins enough. Some in the organization believed part of the problem was the quarterback's struggles to see the middle of the field -- where Watkins excels. It's something Taylor is focusing on improving this offseason.
