The Bills are waiting on Kyle Williams for a little while longer, but they did have another starting defensive lineman back on the field Tuesday.
Marcell Dareus was absent from last week’s set of voluntary OTA practices, but he returned to the field and the first team when this week’s schedule got underway. Dareus explained that there was no acrimony involved with his absence.
“I had stuff I had to take care of,” Dareus said, via the team’s website. “As a man, everybody has their responsibility. I had my responsibility I had to take care of. I did that, and now I’m back here with the guys, working on what we’re going to work on. I stayed in my playbook, stayed in shape. Just came out here ready to run.”
Dareus wasn’t the only player back to work on Tuesday. Safety Da’Norris Searcy also reported for duty after skipping last week’s work while a couple of Bills recovering from injuries ramped up the amount of work they were able to do.
Wide receiver Stevie Johnson graduated from individual work to reps with the rest of the starting offense, which signals an end to worry about the strained back that kept him off the field for the early part of offseason work. Tackle Erik Pears made the same leap in his recovery from a groin injury that has lingered since last season. He’ll join Sam Young and Chris Hairston in a scrap for snaps at right tackle, although Hairston’s chances are currently hindered by his own battle with an undisclosed injury.