Buffalo Bills: Sammy Watkins Update, Jerome Felton Re-signed

Although Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins is not expected to miss any games, he is reportedly feeling “severe discomfort” in his surgically repaired foot.

There was a lot of reports in regards to the health of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the 23-year-old wide receiver was experiencing “severe discomfort” in his surgically repaired foot, and, although he didn’t break the foot, he could miss a number of weeks.

Shortly after Mehta’s report, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided an update on Watkins, and it was significantly more positive than the initial report.

Although this doesn’t mean Watkins is in the clear, it does provide reason for optimism. Bottom line, though, this will all come down to two things: 1) what Watkins pain threshold is, and 2) whether or not the screw in his foot stays in place.

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After an offseason riddled with reports about Watkins not being 100 percent, and the team staying very quiet on the matter, it looks like there is real reason to be concerned. Again, his foot is said to be structurally sound and pain tolerance is the only issue, but if Watkins feels severe discomfort already, there is certainly reason for concern.

We’ve seen wide receivers like Julio Jones and Dez Bryant rehab back from foot injuries, so there is no reason to not be positive when it comes to the long-term outlook of Watkins. However, although he vowed to play on Thursday night, the immediate future is a genuine concern. By the sounds of it, I doubt we will see Watkins at 100 percent this season, which is disheartening for both the Bills and their fan base.

Head coach Rex Ryan addressed the media Monday afternoon and here’s what he had to say about Watkins during his press conference:

And here’s what Watkins had to say when he spoke with the media Monday afternoon:

Welcome Back, Jerome Felton

After being cut prior to the season opener, the Bills decided to bring 30-year-old fullback Jerome Felton back to the team on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Financial details were not released, but I’d imagine his salary is less than the four-year, $9.2 million contract he signed last offseason.

With Felton back in the fold, the team decided to part ways with Glenn Gronkowski. Although Gronkowski is a versatile player, he is not a punishing blocker like Felton. Mini-Gronk was a feel good story throughout training camp, but in Greg Roman’s offence Felton is a better fit.

Next: 3 Things We Learned from Bills Week 1 Loss to Ravens

Felton’s impact might not show up on the stat sheet, at least not for himself, but if he can help the Bills avoid using six-lineman formations and create gaps for LeSean McCoy to run through, he’s more than doing his job.