Last Friday, the Los Angeles Rams made a surprising trade to land wide receiver Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills.
It was a move that had even caught the former 2014 first-round pick off guard as he didn't envision being shipped away from the Bills, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“I was shocked just like everybody else,” Watkins told reporters on Saturday. “I have to get to know everybody on the staff and the team, and let everybody earn my trust and I earn their trust and just be a part of the team.”
Watkins had spent his first three seasons in Buffalo where he notched 153 receptions for 2,459 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 37 total games played through his first three years. He is also just two seasons removed from his best campaign in 2015 where had a career-high 1,047 receiving yards on 60 receptions and nine touchdowns.
It shouldn't be a total surprise given that the Bills had declined his fifth-year option on his rookie deal back in May. Keep in mind, he's set to enter the final year of his contract. The decision to go this route could have resided with Buffalo's concerns with his health coming off the 2016 season where he was limited to just eight games played due to foot surgery last offseason.
That said, the move to Los Angeles provides Watkins with an opportunity to quickly become the leading receiving threat in the passing game for second-year quarterback Jared Goff. In fact, the 24-year-old is the latest addition on that side of the ball to help Goff become the franchise quarterback that the Rams are strongly hoping he can fulfill.
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