LOS ANGELES — After the trade for Sammy Watkins was made on Thursday from the Buffalo Bills for E.J. Manuel and a 2018 2nd round pick, the Los Angeles Rams made a huge statement. The Mob Squad made sure to equip potential quarterback starters Jared Goff or Sean Mannion with enough firepower to win more games this season. The Rams are loaded at wide receiver with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Tavon Austin. Austin who’s still rehabbing a hamstring injury is listed as day-to-day.
On Monday, Watkins practiced with the team for the first time, and it could take him a couple weeks to master head coach Sean McVay’s new offense.
“Just take it slow, one day at a time,” Watkins said after practice. “I’m not going to learn everything in a day. I’m not going to look like Sammy Watkins in three days.”
McVay wanted Watkins to progress throughout the week in order to possibly get him in a series of snaps against the Raiders in Oakland on Saturday night.
“It’s a lot of things that’s going on,” Watkins said of grasping the new Rams offense. “But once I learn the plays and the formations, I can go out there and have fun, come together with the team.”
Watkins proclaimed he is 100 percent healthy and his foot issue is a thing of the past. He had hip surgery at the end of his rookie season in 2014, and after battling through some minute injuries, Watkins later underwent two foot surgeries, in the spring of 2016 and in January of 2017.
Watkins will be wearing number 2 for the rest of preseason and Training Camp, and he’ll be rooming with former Bills teammate Woods. The two will try to bond again learning a new offense for the next three days at UC Irvine until they depart for their practice facility in Thousand Oaks. Once Watkins gets the plays memorized and route ran accurately, he’ll be a great addition to that offense this season. The Rams are looking to turn around a dismal 4-12 record last season, with a fresh vibe, renewed energy and high octane players ready to capture victories.
