Sammy Watkins Will Provide Valuable Experience Among Ravens Young Wideouts

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens like their core group of young wide receivers and are confident they'll have long-term success with the team.

However, some of these young playmakers still need time to develop, but Baltimore plans to win now.

As a result, the team added veteran Sammy Watkins on a one-year, $5 million contract that has an additional $1 million available in incentives.

It's a solid deal for both sides and Lamar Jackson will have another dependable wideout at his disposal.

Watkins was a highly-touted player from Clemson and was the fourth overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 draft. He also spent one season with the Rams (2017) before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Over 86 career games, Watkins has caught 321 passes for 4,665 yards with 33 touchdowns. He'll turn 28 on June 14 so he has plenty of solid football ahead of him. Watkins has the speed to get behind secondaries and does an effective job gaining yards after a reception.

The key for Watkins is to stay healthy so he can make an impact in Baltimore.

This past season, he missed six games with a calf injury. Over his career, Watkins has missed 26 games because of injuries and played in all 16 games just once — his rookie year in Buffalo.

He finished with 37 receptions on 55 targets for 421 yards and two touchdowns over 10 games in 2020. Watkins also helped the Kansas City Chiefs reach the Super Bowl in each of the past two season and that experience will also bode well in Baltimore, which is trying to go further in the playoffs