Getty Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Sammy Watkins
T
he Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiver corps as well as several other units on their roster will be banged up when they face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 2. But there is one veteran wideout that will be healthy, coming off a strong Week 1 performance, and is very familiar to the Chiefs — Sammy Watkins.
Watkins, who signed with Baltimore this offseason, just ended a three-year stint with Kansas City this year. During those three years, his stat line wasn’t that impressive; during that time span, he racked up 1,613 yards on 129 receptions and added on eight receiving touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. But his stat line doesn’t reflect how the organization feels about him, which was evident leading up to the Week 2 matchup when the Chiefs coaching staff was asked about the former No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
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Chiefs Coaches Gushing Over Watkins
Kansas City acquired Watkins during the 2018 offseason, signing him to a three-year, $48 million deal. The man that wanted him in the building, head coach Andy Reid, sung Watkins praises ahead of the Sunday night showdown.
“I’m a big Sammy Watkins fan,” Reid said when asked what it’ll be like facing Watkins in Week 2. “I like him as a human being, I liked him as a player, and I wish him the best. We’re playing him, so I can’t wish him the best for that, but for the rest of the season I wish him the best in that. Heck of a kid.”
The man who was responsible for working Watkins into the offense in Kansas City, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, spoke just as highly of Watkins as Reid.
“You know what, a beautiful soul,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said when asked what came to mind when he hears the name, Sammy Watkins. “Sammy is a great kid. He did a lot of great things for us. It was actually weird watching him on the game the other night, just seeing him and watching him. He actually looked pretty good. But I’m proud of him, wishing him all the best, with the exception of this weekend. It’ll be good just to see him and say hello to him.”
Watkins Has Nothing to Prove to Chiefs
Despite a lackluster stat line during his time with Kansas City, Watkins did help the Chiefs win a championship and appeared in another Super Bowl earlier this year. That’s why Watkins feels he has nothing to prove when he faces the Chiefs for the first time since leaving the AFC defending champions.
“I honestly think they already know what type of player I am,” Watkins said. “And it’s not me proving anything to them; it’s just me playing the game, and I want to win. Like I said, I love those guys over there. I had fun. I had my best time there – winning – but I just think I’m on the other side now, and I just want to go out there and just have fun and make big plays, and like I said, will a win in.”
In Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Watkins was the biggest producer in Baltimore’s passing attack in terms of yardage. He caught four balls on eight targets for 96 yards, per Pro Football Reference, with his longest catch going for 49 yards.
With fellow receiver, Marquise Brown listed as questionable for the Week 2 matchup due to an ankle injury, per the Ravens’ official Twitter account, Watkins could be funneled targets in the passing game against the Chiefs if Brown is sidelined. If that does happen then the seventh-year receiver could have a monster game.
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‘A Beautiful Soul’: Chiefs Coaches Still Gushing Over Ravens’ Sammy Watkins