Shaking off a torn Achilles and suspension hurdles, the linebacker hit the practice field as a full participant, positioning himself to anchor Buffalo's defense for the season opener.
It appears that Michael Hoecht will be ready to go for the start of the season.
After suffering a torn Achilles last November against Kansas City, the Buffalo Bills linebacker had been working his way back on the field. While he participated in drills during minicamps in the spring, there were still questions about whether he'd be ready to be fully ready for training camp.
Turns out, he's more than ready.
Hoecht took the field for Buffalo's first practice of camp at St. John Fisher University without an injury designation. In fact, he was a full participant on a rain-soaked Wednesday morning.
Afterward, president of football operations and general manager, Brandon Beane, was asked about Hoecht's recovery.
"Mike's one of those guys you got to hold him back," Beane said. "He would practice every rep today if he could, but these guys are still trying to tell him. We're still trying to be smart with him, but he feels very confident."
Beane couldn't say that Hoecht feels how he did before the injury, stating that it's a question better suited for the player. However, he said that Hoecht is confident in what he can do, even with missing as much time as he did.
"When you take that much time off of football, like that itself, injured or not, it takes time to get back on the bike and get going," Beane said. "I think he'll be getting his legs, getting his feel, and all that. I think we'll all see him continuing to get better and hopefully keep him healthy and get some preseason action just to get the rust off there."
As far as a timetable for a full game workload, Beane said the team expects him to be ready for week one against the Houston Texans.
"That's what we believe it'll be, but time will tell," he said.
Hoecht signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bills last offseason. He was forced to miss the first six games of the year after violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. When he did return to the field, the 29-year-old made an immediate impact with two sacks and a forced fumble in one-and-a-half games.
