PITTSFORD, N.Y. — When Buffalo Bills starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson went down with an injury Saturday and needed to be carted to the locker room, many feared the worst.Gardner-Johnson, who was brought in as a key piece for a new defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, dodged a significant injury and suffered a lower calf strain on his right leg, according to a league source. Though calf strains can be tricky, even without an exact timetable, there was an expectation of some missed time.However, even the most optimistic outlooks might have been surprised by Gardner-Johnson’s sudden return on Thursday. After missing only two practices, Gardner-Johnson was back to the field in full uniform. And not only did he do some standard work in positional drills, but he also somewhat surprisingly worked into the 11-on-11 team drills.Sporting a sleeve on his right calf, Gardner-Johnson reintegrated with the first-team defense in team drills on his first day back. He even gave a quick pop of the pads to wide receiver Keon Coleman on one of his first reps.After practice, the Bills safety said he’s been logging a lot of hours in the training room since Saturday’s injury, waking up at 6 a.m. and sometimes staying with athletic trainers until 8 p.m.But why such a quick return, especially when the team has the time and space of over a month to go before the Bills’ opener?“We’ve got two good opponents the first two weeks. So I want to be ready and mentally sharp,” Gardner-Johnson said. “The more reps I can get, it’s gonna be easier for me to go out there and make plays when it’s time to go.”The safety will be up against two of his previous teams to begin the year, with Week 1 on the road against the Houston Texans, followed by a Thursday night home game against the Detroit Lions in Week 2.Gardner-Johnson still gets a bit fired up about how his tenure with the Texans ended and about some of the ensuing explanations for his ultimate release. After just three games into the 2025 season, Houston moved on from the safety by cutting him outright. Gardner-Johnson ultimately landed with the Chicago Bears after a quick stint on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.“All the bull—t that came out, it was lies,” he said, responding to the talk about his inability to gel with the team and there being friction during his Houston tenure.“After the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they said I didn’t fit well,” Gardner-Johnson said. “They was already starting 0-3, so how can it possibly be on one person?”The Bills safety reiterated that the Texans are a good team, but he would have preferred they had been more respectful in how they handled his situation, with communication near the top of his wish list.“Be adults about the business,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Like, we’re here, we’re grown men, we all got kids, you know, like a five-second phone call don’t justify nothing. I feel like I need some respect [from the Texans], but I don’t care for it anymore.”On the flip side, Gardner-Johnson was quick to praise the Bills for how they communicate with him.“Amazing. They tell you what it is, and they tell you what it ain’t,” he said. “I feel like that’s the best thing you can do, is have transparency in the front office and coaching staff.”Gardner-Johnson wasn’t the only notable defender to get back to work on Thursday. Here’s what stood out from Day 6 of Bills training camp.Walker gets right back into practice as he planned toFor the same amount of time that Gardner-Johnson had missed Bills practices, starting defensive lineman Deone Walker was unable to take part in team drills due to what he called a “tweaked” elbow.Walker said Tuesday that he hoped to get back to work on Thursday once his fitted brace arrived. As promised, with a brace on his arm, Walker was back and participating in both individual and team drills, immediately taking his role back as one of their top three defensive linemen.What remains to be seen is how limited Walker’s elbow injury could make him if it lingers, and if the brace impacts his playing style. Either way, the Bills have to be quite pleased to have Walker back, as he is far and away one of their two best defensive linemen, along with Ed Oliver.Left guard updateThe Bills continue to split reps between Alec Anderson and veteran Austin Corbett as they attempt to find their fifth and final starter. To this point, Anderson has been the more consistent player of the two through the padded sessions, where you can notice the overall difference in movement skills during one-on-ones and team drills.Corbett has the experience, but in terms of potential outcomes, Anderson has shown a higher ceiling so far in camp. Anderson has been with the Bills for multiple years, but it was wise for them to bring in legitimate competition for him. He’ll need to continue through preseason games to show that his athleticism and physical play can translate into a full-time starting role.Even if Corbett doesn’t claim the starting role, having a veteran like Corbett, who can play multiple spots, is important for the Bills in 2026.Buffalo Bills IOL Lloyd Cushenberry III could be on the outside looking in when cutdown day arrives. (Tina MacIntyre-Yee / USA Today via Imagn Images)Surprise veterans on the bubble?DL DeWayne Carter – Just as it has been since Day 3, veteran Phidarian Mathis continued to play ahead of Carter as the second-unit nose tackle. The team wants to see if Carter could make the transition to nose tackle in their new 3-4 defensive scheme, though there are some real concerns about both how stout he is in the middle of those looks and his lack of length. Keeping both Carter and Mathis would mean keeping seven defensive linemen, and that could prove to be one too many. Mathis is winning that job right now. Carter might need to be worked in more and show some good reps at 4i to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.OLB Mike Danna – The team brought Danna in on a one-year, almost fully guaranteed veteran minimum deal in May, but that was well before they knew what veteran pass rusher Michael Hoecht would look like at training camp after rehabbing a torn Achilles. Hoecht has passed every test early in camp, not missing a single day and playing on the second unit ahead of Danna every single practice. The Bills have four edge rusher locks for the 53-man roster in Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, rookie T.J. Parker and Hoecht. Third-year player Javon Solomon is viewed as a potential core-four special teams asset, as well. Keeping a sixth outside linebacker might be a non-starter, even with Danna’s contract situation.IOL Lloyd Cushenberry III – The Bills have really tapped into the buy-low veteran offensive linemen market in recent years as a means to buoy their depth. Sometimes it works out incredibly well (see: David Edwards), and sometimes the player doesn’t even make the team (see: La’el Collins). Given the sheer numbers along their offensive line and all the draft investments who still have multiple years left on their rookie deals, Cushenberry hasn’t distinguished himself as someone they need to keep ahead of those younger players to this point. He has shown some struggles against both speed and power, which makes you wonder if he could be on the outside looking in. Like Danna, Cushenberry’s one-year veteran minimum deal is close to fully guaranteed.S Geno Stone – Stone’s play in spot duty for Gardner-Johnson allowed for the door to remain open for Damar Hamlin to get some playing time with the top unit until Gardner-Johnson returned, which should keep things open on just about any outcome for the 53-man roster. Cole Bishop, Gardner-Johnson, rookie Jalon Kilgore and special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr. are all roster locks. However, would the Bills really keep six safeties to include both Stone and Hamlin? As with the defensive line and at outside linebacker, it might be one too many safeties to keep, and that spot could be used for depth elsewhere.Bass and #Puntapalooza latestDay 6 brought about the first time we’ve seen kicker Tyler Bass go through field goal attempts in team drills. Just as Bass began to kick, a period of heavy rain hovered over the team’s practice field. In total, Bass hit five of his seven field goal tries, two of which were hooked to the right.The Bills elected to do away with his competition after releasing kicker Maddux Trujillo in mid-May. Bass hasn’t kicked in an actual game since January 26, 2025, when the Bills lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Chiefs.As for the punting competition, they held their third day of the #Puntapalooza on Tuesday. Rookie Tommy Doman Jr. and veteran Mitch Wishnowsky each had 13 attempts, with every attempt between their own 29- and 38-yard line — meaning we could see them lay into some kicks.The rookie Doman clearly won the day. Even if he was a bit more inconsistent, six of his 13 attempts traveled at least 50 yards, as opposed to Wishnowsky’s two. Doman’s unofficial average hangtime (4.63 seconds) and distance (46.9 yards) were both superior to Wishnowsky’s (4.53 seconds and 46.3 yards). As long as Doman can iron out some of his inconsistencies, he clearly has both the team’s investment and the leg talent to win this job outright.