Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins appears headed in the right direction if the third-year star wishes to make good on his guarantee that he’ll play in Thursday’s home game versus the New York Jets.
Watkins, who has been plagued by discomfort in his left foot, dressed for the scaled-down walk-through session on Tuesday. The 23-year-old officially was listed as a non-participant in Tuesday’s practice.
When asked if Watkins was in line to back up his guarantee, coach Rex Ryan told the Buffalo News, “I’m assuming what he said is accurate.”
Watkins had four receptions for a team-leading 43 yards in Buffalo’s 13-7 season-opening loss to Baltimore on Sunday.
The news is mildly promising considering that published reports Monday said Watkins could be shut down for several weeks.
— Former Cincinnati Bengals coach Sam Wyche underwent heart transplant surgery early Tuesday morning, according to his personal Facebook page.
The 71-year-old Wyche was wheeled into surgery shortly before 3 a.m. at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. The procedure lasted approximately 4 1/2 hours.
An update was posted shortly after the surgery was over:
“Coach is out of the Operating Room and now in recovery!!! The surgeon said Sam did great! The total operating time was about 4.5 hours. Now he is a strong man, spiritually and physically with a strong heart, thanks to a wonderful donor and donor’s family. #DonateLife”
–The New Orleans Saints released running back C.J. Spiller, multiple media outlets reported.
Spiller was a healthy scratch for this past weekend’s season opener against the Oakland Raiders.
Spiller played in 13 games, including two starts, for the Saints last season. He rushed 36 times for 112 yards and caught 34 passes for 239 yards.
The 29-year-old signed a four-year, $16 million deal with New Orelans as free agency in early 2015.
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added running back depth by signing Jacquizz Rodgers to a one-year contract.
The 26-year-old Rodgers was recently released by the Chicago Bears. He played his first four NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before signing with Chicago prior to the 2015 season.
Tampa Bay was down to two experienced running backs — starter Doug Martin and versatile Charles Sims — due to injuries.
–Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers agreed to a contract extension, according to multiple reports.
ESPN reported the sides agreed on a three-year extension through 2019, but financial terms were not disclosed.
–Left tackle David Bakhtiari agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers worth $51.6 million.
Bakhtiari was a direct beneficiary of the Packers releasing Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton at the deadline to reduce regular-season rosters to 53 players. By releasing Sitton before rosters were set, the Packers freed up additional money and had $16 million in cap space to invest before the 2017 league year.
–The Washington Redskins are in the process of re-signing veteran defensive end Cullen Jenkins after their defensive line gave a dismal performance in Monday’s regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jenkins, 35, was released in Washington’s final cuts to get down to a 53-player roster.
Jenkins has 47.5 career sacks in 12 NFL seasons. He played seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and three with the New York Giants.
Backup center Austin Reiter was released to open up a roster spot.
—The San Francisco 49ers re-signed running back DuJuan Harris. San Francisco released Harris prior to its season-opening 28-0 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday in order to add an extra wide receiver to its active roster. That wideout, Chris Harper, was waived by the team on Tuesday.
— The Arizona Cardinals re-signed Marquis Bundy to the practice squad and released fellow wide receiver Chris Hubert.
— The Indianapolis Colts released defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and guard Adam Redmond from the practice squad.
— The Minnesota Vikings signed cornerbacks Tre Roberson and Julian Wilson to the practice squad.
The signings come after starting cornerback Xavier Rhodes suffered a knee injury while stretching prior to last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. His status for this Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers is still to be determined.
Minnesota also released offensive tackle Carter Bykowski and safety Shamiel Gary from the practice squad.