Los Angeles Rams Acquire WR Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills
By Joey Farcone
The Los Angeles Rams finally found a true No. 1 receiver Friday when they sent cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick to Buffalo for Sammy Watkins and a sixth-round pick.
The Los Angeles Rams continued to upgrade on the offensive side of the ball today by trading for former Buffalo Bills wideout Sammy Watkins.
This is a nice move for the Rams who have committed to adding more weapons for second-year QB Jared Goff to work with.
For Watkins, he earns a fresh start. His time in Buffalo was plagued with injuries where he played 37 games in 3 seasons, and only 8 in 2016. When he is healthy he is a threat to be reckoned with.
The 24-year-old has 17 career touchdown receptions and averages 65 receiving yards a game, 24th-best among active players. He is one of the best deep ball threats in the league, with a TD reception above 60 yards coming at least once in every season, with a high of 84 yards in 2014.
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Watkins joins back up with teammate Robert Woods, who the Rams signed this offseason. Woods doesn’t have the talent to be a No. 1 receiver but now can comfortably slide into the No. 2 slot.
Head Coach Sean McVay has really made the effort to add more options for Goff, who now was Watkins, Woods, Tavon Austin and Cooper Kupp to spread the field with. This should allow the Rams and RB Todd Gurley to establish a running game more efficiently than last year with an upgraded receiving core and offensive line.
This move also saw the Rams lose one of their assumed starting cornerbacks E.J. Gaines. Expect someone like Kayvon Webster or Troy Hill to fill the void to start the season.
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Overall this is a nice move from the Rams if Watkins can stay healthy. That may prove to be a big ‘if’ but Watkins has proven to me a very efficient player when he can stay on the field.