Bills officials said first-round draft pick Shaq Lawson will have surgery on his right shoulder and wide receiver Sammy Watkins had an operation on his foot.
A person familiar with Watkins’s injury said Monday it is a small stress fracture. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Bills did not reveal details of Watkins’s injury.
Watkins, who last season led Buffalo with 60 catches, 1,047 receiving yards, and 9 TD catches, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July.
The Bills said Lawson, the 19th overall pick in last month’s NFL Draft, tweaked the shoulder last week and would undergo a procedure on Tuesday. Multiple reports say Lawson is expected to be sidelined for 5-6 months.
Lawson, a defensive end with Clemson who plans to move to linebacker, insisted after the draft he wouldn’t need surgery to fix a problem he’s played with for years.
Bills general manager Doug Whaley says Lawson is forsaking personal goals to be 100 percent healthy when the team needs him most.
Sanchez gets fixed up
Mark Sanchez will miss the first few days of organized team activities next week after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament in his left, non-throwing hand. The Broncos’ new quarterback injured his left thumb in a weight room mishap on Thursday while participating in team-wide strength and conditioning work. He underwent surgery Saturday in Vail, Colo. . . . The Titans waived quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a sixth-round draft pick in 2014 by Tennessee who is 0-10 as a starter. The Titans didn’t need him after bringing in Matt Cassel to back up Marcus Mariota. They also have Alex Tanney on the roster. Mettenberger threw for 242 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs vs. the Patriots Dec. 20.
Ex-Pats LB to Broncos
The Broncos signed unrestricted free agent linebacker Dekoda Watson, a six-year veteran who played for the Patriots last season. He appeared in three regular-season games and both playoff games for New England . . . Defensive end Jason Jones signed with the Dolphins. The eight-year veteran started 31 games the past two seasons for the Lions . . . The Panthers cut cornerback Brandon Boykin, whom they signed as a free agent earlier this offseason prior to drafting three cornerbacks. They won’t have to pay Boykin’s base salary, but will have to account for his $80,000 signing bonus under this year’s salary cap. Carolina also released former Patriots cornerback Ras-I Dowling . . . The Jaguars signed fourth-round draft pick Sheldon Day of Notre Dame. The defensive tackle agreed to a four-year deal worth about $2.95 million. It included a $600,000 signing bonus . . . The Falcons announced food and beverage pricing for all events at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium will start with $2 each for soft drinks (including free refills), hot dogs, pretzels, and popcorn. Among items costing $3 will be peanuts, nachos, and waffle fries. A 12-ounce domestic beer is just $5. Team president Rich McKay said the prices are approximately 50 percent less than what is currently charged at the Georgia Dome. The new stadium is scheduled to open in June 2017.
