Stevie Johnson’s groin is springing back to life faster than anticipated.
Bills coach Chan Gailey all but ruled Johnson out until training camp a couple of weeks ago, but that might have been premature. Johnson said Monday that his groin, which was operated on in April, was healing “way ahead of schedule.” The wide receiver has been held out of team drills during OTAs, but he hinted that he might be doing more during next week’s minicamp.
“I’m ready to go,” Johnson said, via Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. “They said it was about six to eight, but I’m feeling like I’m ready to be out there, and I think we’re moving towards that next week. “We’ll see how things go. As of now, they’re saying I’ll be out there to get some reps.”
While the Bills certainly are happy to have Johnson healthy, there’s nothing to gain by pushing him at this point. Johnson is the one sure thing in the team’s receiving corps. Gailey said Monday that Donald Jones is currently the number two receiver, but that battle should rage well into training camp. Keeping Johnson on the other side of the field is crucial for Buffalo and will likely impact how much they have him do next week.