After four straight days of practices at 2011 training camp, Buffalo Bills players will have today off for a little rest and recuperation. When they get back onto the fields at Growney Stadium tomorrow afternoon, they'll be joined for the first time by several new teammates.
All of the team's veteran free agent signings - quarterback Tyler Thigpen, slash Brad Smith, linebacker Nick Barnett and cornerback Drayton Florence - will be back on the practice field on Thursday. In that sense, it'll be the first full-team workout of the new NFL season for the Bills.
We're particularly interested to see how Florence's return shakes up the pecking order at cornerback, where Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin have been running with the ones, and where rookie Aaron Williams has been one of the team's bright spots in the early stages of camp. Williams has served as the de facto nickel back, coming in and sliding McGee down into the slot in that package. Florence, expected to be a starter, will change how that works, and we're curious to see exactly how that goes down.
The Bills have a night practice tomorrow, which as you're all aware requires a ticket for admission.