In the preseason, Bills running back LeSean McCoy touted the talent of new teammate Sammy Watkins by equating him to a "Ferrari in the garage." But that Ferrari, through nagging injuries and inconsistent quarterback play, has been kept mostly in neutral to start the season, and Watkins has grown unhappy with his role in the struggling Bills offense.
Watkins, who Buffalo selected fourth overall in 2014, told The Buffalo News on Thursday that he and his agent asked the team to increase his targets. The lack thereof, Watkins said, is making him look bad.
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"I need the ball at least 10 times — I need 10 targets — and I'll be fine with however many yards I get," Watkins told the newspaper. "And that's what I addressed in talking with my agent. We reached out to a couple people and tried to pull some string 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?'"
Watkins hasn't played since Week 3 because of a persistent calf injury, the sixth time in his short career the wideout has missed time because of an injury. He has seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown in the three games he's played, and has been targeted only 13 times. Watkins is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals.
The Bills traded the No. 9 overall pick and 2015 first- and fourth-round picks to move up to select Watkins a year ago, and the electric Clemson product had a strong rookie season with 982 yards and six scores on 65 receptions. But that was with veteran Kyle Orton throwing him the ball for most of the season.
This year, the Bills have a new coaching staff under Rex Ryan and a new offensive philosophy under coordinator Greg Roman. Tyrod Taylor is the new starter at quarterback, and it appears he and Watkins have failed to establish much of a rapport so far.
"Everybody looks at you getting zero catches, zero yards, but when you look on film, 90 percent of the time you're open," Watkins told told The News. "I understand that these guys are young and they need some time to trust me. Once we get that trust, it'll be different.
"That’s what I get mad at, when I don’t get looked at. 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.”
