In a hypothetical do-over, do we trade for Watkins?

[Psycho_X]

Yes, our current roster of WRs complement each other extremely well. Sign Sammy to a long term decent deal and keep this group together because when it works... don't break it.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Check out his 2017 stats with one game to go. [www.espn.com]

Bear in mind that Watkins is now playing in McVay’s “spread the ball around O”. Could we have somehow gotten those 593 yards on 39 catches via some other combination of players on this roster? The 8 TD’s were great, though.

We gave up our ‘18 second rounder plus Gaines to acquire Watkins. Gaines would be handy right now and that 2nd next year could be used in so many positive ways. Sooooo many.

Sooooo...

Was it worth it to you?

Honestly, in this hypothetical I would pass on Watkins and keep Gaines and the 2nd. There, I said it.

I look at it like this, Fisher/Snead probably wouldn't make this trade, but McVay/Snead pulled the trigger. It's not just Watkins' stats, but every other receiver & our RB's stats which also gain because we now have a legitimate deep threat. At least one opposition defender is out of the box, and at least one DB is worried about someone getting behind them, allowing others to get open. I'm far less concerned about Watkins stats than getting our TE's going to add even more additional pressure on defenses. With Gurley & our very deep WR corps, once we spice things up with a consistently strong group of TE's, Goff can only get better by increasing the manner in which the ball is spread around. Give me wins, not stats. I believe this young group of receivers can be every bit as good as Holt, Bruce, Hakim, Proehl, Faulk, Canidate & Conwell. jmo.

 

[HellRam]

Long term if Watkins does not resign it may not be considered the best of deals.

But for this one season...it was all worth it. Sammy has no doubt made a impact.

 

[PressureD41]

I hope we resign him. I wonder what the magic number is before were forced to say no and walk away from signing him.
Is it in the mid 11's???? I say yes up to the max offer of 11.7 per
:icare::grouphug:

 

[Soul Surfer]

This is been a great year for Sammy as far as enjoying his teammates and winning.

I think he signs with the Rams.

 

[PhillyRam]

I don't want to bash the guy, but is it just me or does he come off as being not the sharpest knife in the drawer? I wonder how much of his issue of not getting targeted as much has to do with his grasp of the offense?

And if that is the case that could factor into whether they decide to keep him. That could cut two ways as well. One, they feel he will always struggle with the offense as they implement new concepts or they might feel that once he gets more comfortable he will be much better next near.

Just a thought.

 

[PressureD41]

great point @PhillyRam

I thought the same thing, I sadly lean to the he might be as smart as we need. But man 8 tds. And I admit I'm on the fence on resigning him. We must not over pay for him. We can find his replacement in FA if need be.

 

[fearsomefour]

I'm not changing a thing about this past offseason....and knocking on wood at the thought.

 

[Rams43]

Couple of things...

It seems that the voters overwhelmingly consider Watkins’ decoy value worth the cost of the trade. Geez, that hits a nerve since we already have one decoy WR.

Here’s a follow up question. I didn’t include it originally because I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

Can Watkins be signed at a reasonable price? ‘Cause if not, this deal looks like a very costly one year rental.

And what is a reasonable price? $8 million per? $10 million per? Or more?

I mean, we got Woods for $7 million per, didn’t we? Wouldn’t another FA like Woods draw coverage in this McVay O scheme, too?

Don’t we have to get bang for our buck considering all the upcoming UFA’s?

 

[Riverumbbq]

If i'm Demoff/Kroenke, ... $50.mil for 5 years and a $30.mil guarantee works for me.

 

[Mackeyser]

Let's not forget how crucial he is in the run game. He's one of the better blocking WRs in the league.

And that's not a small thing. It's part of how all 11 guys can contribute on every play.

 

[jrry32]

Couple of things...

It seems that the voters overwhelmingly consider Watkins’ decoy value worth the cost of the trade. Geez, that hits a nerve since we already have one decoy WR.

Here’s a follow up question. I didn’t include it originally because I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

Can Watkins be signed at a reasonable price? ‘Cause if not, this deal looks like a very costly one year rental.

And what is a reasonable price? $8 million per? $10 million per? Or more?

I mean, we got Woods for $7 million per, didn’t we? Wouldn’t another FA like Woods draw coverage in this McVay O scheme, too?

Don’t we have to get bang for our buck considering all the upcoming UFA’s?

$10 million per is reasonable to me as about the most I'd pay. It fairly considers his value to the team, his play this year, and his future potential.

Speedy WRs cost a pretty penny. That's why Woods was a bit less expensive. Plus, Watkins was still a top 5 pick in a stacked class. There are plenty of teams that still believe in his potential.

As for bang for your buck, it's always difficult to tell what the market will bear. For example, if Paul Richardson is only going to cost $7 million or $8 million per year, it would be worth it to let Watkins walk if he's asking for $11 million per year. That's because Richardson can play the same role. He doesn't have Watkins's potential, but with how much we spread the ball around in our offense, that's not a huge deal.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

50 yes
06 no

That’s pretty much 10 to 1

Seems pretty simple to me

EJ can’t stay on the field
Late 2nd round pick? Meh

 

[jrry32]

50 yes
06 no

That’s pretty much 10 to 1

Seems pretty simple to me

EJ can’t stay on the field
Late 2nd round pick? Meh

This is the big thing. I think a lot of people are looking at this as if we're still picking at the top of the draft. We'll be picking somewhere between 22 and 32. I'm more than happy to give that up for just the amazing success we'd had this year. Just ask yourself if a second round pick was worth this:
http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/sort/totalPointsPerGame

I think we all know the answer here.

 

[HellRam]

Couple of things...

It seems that the voters overwhelmingly consider Watkins’ decoy value worth the cost of the trade. Geez, that hits a nerve since we already have one decoy WR.

Here’s a follow up question. I didn’t include it originally because I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.

Can Watkins be signed at a reasonable price? ‘Cause if not, this deal looks like a very costly one year rental.

And what is a reasonable price? $8 million per? $10 million per? Or more?

I mean, we got Woods for $7 million per, didn’t we? Wouldn’t another FA like Woods draw coverage in this McVay O scheme, too?

Don’t we have to get bang for our buck considering all the upcoming UFA’s?

Here's where I agree with you. The Rams would be lucky to sign Watkins for around 10 mill per year IMO. On the open market, I don't think it's too crazy a team loaded with cap offers Sammy 12 to 14 mill per year. Heck..Britt pulled off 8 mill per with the Browns last free agency. And Watkins has shown much more then Britt.

How much he wants to stay a Ram we will see. He may never put up the career numbers he wants with the Rams.

 

[Steve808]

I don't want to bash the guy, but is it just me or does he come off as being not the sharpest knife in the drawer? I wonder how much of his issue of not getting targeted as much has to do with his grasp of the offense?

And if that is the case that could factor into whether they decide to keep him. That could cut two ways as well. One, they feel he will always struggle with the offense as they implement new concepts or they might feel that once he gets more comfortable he will be much better next near.

Just a thought.

I'll chime in. That "diva" thing about the lack of targets was early in the season. I thin McVay installed the "team" before "me" attitude in Watkins. Not a peep since? Sammy is a legitimate #1 threat even if he did not have the numbers this season. Makes you wonder what Buffalo was thinking with the Rams getting Wood and Watkins.

Hopefully, Sammy will be reasonable wanting to play for a legitimate SB contender instead of an also ran and re-up with the Rams. I would like to see him back.

 

[TexasRam]

I’ll be honest, Sammy has really frustrated me this year with his route running, lack of awareness and inability to adjust to the ball in the air at times.

But on the positive he has been excellent as a possession goaline option with his strong hands and ability to take a hit around or in the end zone. He has also gotten better running those slants and short sit down routes, and stretched the field as well.

If we can re-sign him cheap then it
Will ultimately justify the trade. If he leaves in Free agency then I’m not sure you can justify what we gave up, unless he has a big postseason and we win the Super Bowl.

 

[PhillyRam]

Agree with the fact that Sammy's hands are excellent.... One of the biggest improvements this team's recievers have exhibited is the ability to catch contested balls

Last year Britt was the only guy that could do that occasionally and then often times he would drop a ball he shouldn't.

 

[CGI_Ram]

 

[Petrowsky]

Here's where I agree with you. The Rams would be lucky to sign Watkins for around 10 mill per year IMO. On the open market, I don't think it's too crazy a team loaded with cap offers Sammy 12 to 14 mill per year. Heck..Britt pulled off 8 mill per with the Browns last free agency. And Watkins has shown much more then Britt.

How much he wants to stay a Ram we will see. He may never put up the career numbers he wants with the Rams.

I think he will cost more than the Rams are willing to commit. This coming up Free Agency has some solid WRs available. If Watkins leaves there are other options. I wonder if Allen Robinson coming off a down 2016, and missing all of this season, will bring his price down to below Watkins’ price tag?