'Good to Be Back!' Bills Rookie Excited to Retake Field After Injury

The Buffalo Bills received some much-needed positive injury news days ago when rookie safety Cole Bishop returned to practice Tuesday. Bishop returned to practice for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury in July.

Bishop's return comes at a key time for the Bills as the team is just weeks away from the start of the regular-season. The team is also expecting safety Damar Hamlin to miss multiple weeks following their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although Bishop is back with the team, he has yet to practice fully with pads since his return. Following practice Thursday, Bishop spoke about how he's been using the non-contact practices to improve his game.

"It's good to be back out there," said Bishop. "Obviously I'd rather be out there playing but it's a good opportunity to get more mental reps. That's kind of a different persepective when you're standing on the sideline, you're able to see more, so you start anticipating and being able to see what we're going to check to and things like that."

The Bills selected Bishop in the second-round out of Utah. Bishop is expected to make a large impact with the team at the safety position following the departures of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in the offseason.

Related: Bills 3 on the Bubble: Who Will Make the Cut?

Bishop hopes to be on the field when the Bills take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 on Sept. 8.