Indianapolis Colts work out former Super Bowl champion wide receiver
The Indianapolis Colts snapped their three-game losing streak Sunday, beating the Carolina Panthers. However, their top two wide receivers both got beat up in the game and the already thin wide receiver room might need some extra help.
Michael Pittman Jr. left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with what was thought to be a concussion. He was able to clear the evaluation and able to return to the game.
Meanwhile, rookie Josh Downs left the game in the first half and never returned. Subsequently, he was ruled out with a knee injury. Coming into the game, he was dealing with an injured knee, so the question now is if he aggravated it even more or if it bothered him too much to continue. Regardless, as of right now, the Colts’ top three healthy wide receivers are Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Isaiah McKenzie.
reported on Monday that the Indianapolis Colts, who were searching for a wide receiver before the trade deadline, brought in veteran Sammy Watkins for a workout. At this point, it’s unclear if the 30-year-old Watkins intends to sign with Indianapolis. If he does, he would certainly bring a veteran presence and Super Bowl-winning experience to such a young team.
However, if he were to sign with the team the next question or questions are who’s snaps does he take, and would it be an indictment on how the franchise feels about that particular player? For example, Pittman is locked in as a starting outside receiver but would Watkins start in place of Pierce? And if Pierce is indeed the wide receiver to lose playing time is the organization’s way of saying they’re giving up on the second-year player? Or would they be doing this hopefully light a fire under him, so he can reach his potential?
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Indianapolis Colts take a look at Sammy Watkins
As for Watkins, the 10-year vet has seen his yearly production steadily decline since the 2019 season, the year before he won the Super Bowl while with Kansas City. The former fourth overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft never panned out the way many thought he would. Throughout his aforementioned 10-year career, he’s averaged 40.4 catches, 598.2 yards, and 3.8 touchdowns per season.
His best seasons were his first two in Buffalo where he averaged 62.5 catches, 1,014 yards, and 7.5 touchdowns. After these two years, his high marks in catches (52) and yards (673) both came in 2019.
And his high mark in touchdowns (eight), came in 2017 while with the Los Angeles Rams. However, last season saw Watkins play with both Green Bay and Baltimore. Neither led to very much statistical productivity and at this point, it’s fair to question how much he has left.
