Buffalo Bills Training Camp: The Brad Smith Blueprint

At the start of off-season activities, we noted that the Buffalo Bills had been using flex player Brad Smith exclusively at quarterback. Eventually, he also took snaps at wide receiver during OTAs and minicamp, but in training camp, Smith has reverted to wearing the red jersey.

That's likely to change in short order, according to head coach Chan Gailey.

"Like we did in OTAs, we took about the first six or eight (practices), I cannot remember how many it was, and worked him strictly at quarterback," Gailey said on Tuesday. "Then we will start to work him at receiver and then we will start to put in the Wildcat package later on. We will have all of that going for him at a later date. But being the third quarterback, he needs to know how to do the base offense, the two-minute stuff and all of that. He has a lot of work to get ready at quarterback before he starts that other stuff."

Gailey implied earlier this off-season that Smith's spot on the roster was safe, and that Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen were battling for one spot. Not only will Smith be required to learn the offense from the quarterback and wide receiver positions, he may also be asked to compete on special teams.

"Maybe," said Gailey when asked about kick returning. "I am not ready to commit on that, but maybe."

Smith had the throw of the day at Tuesday's practice when he found former New York Jets teammate David Clowney down the sideline with an arching bomb into the numbers. As Brian Galliford wrote yesterday, Smith could very well take the Bills' offense from good to great if he can make a contribution this season. He needs to start making a bigger contribution to validate the four-year, $15 million contract he signed a year ago.