Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins' status for Week 1 of the regular season is up in the air after he left the team's preseason finale Thursday night in the first quarter due to reinjuring his ribs.
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Watkins didn't return to the game and the Bills ended up losing their Week 4 preseason game 23-0 to the Detroit Lions at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The injury puts his status for the team's Week 1 matchup with the Bears in Chicago in question.
Bills coach Doug Marrone was mum on Watkins' status after the injury and a team spokesperson told reporters that he was "not aware" of any test results on Watkins' ribs.
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Marrone, who played Watkins early in the game in order to continue to build chemistry between the rookie receiver and quarterback EJ Manuel, said he was uncertain if Watkins will be in the lineup when the team visits the Bears next Sunday.
"Once the trainers cleared him to play, I was excited about it," Marrone told ESPN. "You never know. X-rays, tests, things like that. Shows up one day, doesn't show up the next day. Could be out, could be in. Depends on the player. Could be a week, could be four to six weeks, could be longer. I'm not getting into all of that."
Watkins originally bruised his ribs in an Aug. 16 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the injury was aggravated when he was hit by Lions linebacker Ashlee Palmer after an incomplete pass Thursday night.
Watkins returned to the huddle before walking to the sideline and then leaving the game to get evaluated by team doctors.
While Marrone wasn't in the mood to speculate how soon his projected breakout receiver would be back, Manuel didn't think it was anything serious.
"It was a tight throw. He just probably got a little banged up," Manuel said. "He'll be fine."
Watkins was the fourth overall pick in May's NFL Draft by the Bills. Watkins, 21, had 101 receptions in 13 games for Clemson last season for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Buffalo enters 2014 after finishing 6-10 last season and in fourth place in the AFC East for the sixth straight year, failing to make the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.
A loss of Watkins for a significant period of time would be a huge blow to the Bills' chances of ending that drought.
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