Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- A few red flags were raised when the Buffalo Bills were without wide receiver Stevie Johnson at practice on Thursday. Getting the day off for precautionary reasons, both the wideout and head coach Chan Gailey expected Johnson to be back to work on Friday.
As anticipated, the Bills' top wideout was indeed taking part in the session. Johnson has been dealing with some tightness in his groin that limited him in practice on Wednesday, but said on Thursday that he doesn't expect it to be a nagging problem like it was last season.
After practice, Gailey told reporters that Johnson was limited in practice, and will have the 50-50 designation of 'questionable' against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Friday, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had confidence that his top target would be able to play. "He'll be fine," the quarterback said. "Stevie will be alright."
Gailey added that the day off on Thursday was quite evident during Friday's practice, and he hopes that another 48 hours of rest will have Johnson ready for the game.
Kraig Urbik (lower back), Brad Smith (groin), Erik Pears (groin), Mark Anderson (groin), and Terrence McGee (knee) were all practicing. Only Urbik and Smith are listed amongst the Bills injuries for the week. They are both probable for the Jets contest after being full participants on Friday.
In the case of Smith, Gailey said the wideout took a step forward and should be ready to go. He even added in that they were able to time up their Wildcat offensive attack with Smith on Friday.
Pears, Anderson and McGee all were not listed on the injury report through the week, and all are expected to play.
The Bills announced one minor transaction. After placing cornerback Cris Hill on their waived/injured list back in training camp, the team announced they've come to an injury settlement with the undrafted rookie. He is now a free agent.
The Bills and Jets kick off their regular seasons on Sunday, September 9 at 1 pm.
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