Skip to main content
Advertising

McDermott believes Bills' No. 2 receiver is on roster

Do not look at the Buffalo Bills' wide receiver depth chart.

Don't do it.

I'm warning you. It'll ruin your day.

Fine, if you really must know: Sammy Watkins.

OK, OK. There are more players than the oft-injured Watkins in the Bills' receiving corps. But after losing Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and Justin Hunter this offseason without replacing any with significant contributors, the current group is, well, umm, hmmm, errrr... thin.

Receivers currently in line behind Watkins, with their 2016 catch total:

Philly Brown (27 catches); Andre Holmes (14); Brandon Tate (8); Jeremy Butler (2); Walter Powell (2); Dezmin Lewis (0, 1 game played); Kolby Listenbee (DNP); Corey Washington (hasn't played in the regular season since 2014).

To be fair, Watkins only corralled 28 catches in eight games played last season.

With the dearth of playmaking receivers, the Bills have been linked to potentially selecting a receiver in the first round of April's draft.

Speaking Tuesday at the NFL's Annual League Meeting, coach Sean McDermott threw cold water on those mock drafts when asked if he thought the team's No. 2 receiver was currently on the roster.

"I do. I do," he said. "And that will be fun to watch that battle throughout the preseason and training camp. Who that is remains to be seen, but I believe he is on the roster. A lot of times the answer is on your roster and that will be the fun part of finding out for me when we get to Phase 2 when we can get on the field for voluntary minicamp -- that's going to be an interesting three days for us."

At this stage, we'd anticipate Holmes would head into offseason workouts with a leg up on the No. 2 slot.

Perhaps McDermott's comment is merely a smokescreen ahead of the draft. Tyrod Tylor can only hope.

Watkins has been the quarterback's only playmaking receiver since moving to Buffalo, and the No. 1 target has often been injured. After the Watkins underwent foot surgery in January, McDermott said the wideout is progressing.

"I sat down with Sammy Watkins and was impressed," the coach said, via the team's official Twitter feed. "He's on schedule with his rehab and this group of wide receivers will be fun to watch."

Fun to watch for a defensive coach, perhaps. Or maybe someone that loves ground-and-pound. It's not a group that conveys an air of aerial preponderance.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content