ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Defensive end Jerry Hughes and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus were not spotted at the start of Friday's New Years Day practice, the Buffalo Bills' final practice of their 2015 season.
However, Hughes was on the practice field at the end of practice and Dareus was listed on the injury report as a full participant with a neck injury.
So what happened?
"Initially we had a little issue," coach Rex Ryan said. "We had a little issue -- I'm not going to get into it -- but we're calling one of our players the UPS guy. He delivered the goods. We had to send him to go pick someone [up]."
Was it Hughes who picked up Dareus?
"I don't know," a coy Ryan said, smiling. "But we got the package here. ... I'm not going to get into specifics. But yeah, it was ... we had to scramble a little bit this morning."
About six inches of snow fell Friday morning in the area around Ralph Wilson Stadium. Approached in the locker room, Hughes said he did not pick up Dareus and bring him to practice. Teammate Boobie Dixon, however, told a different story.
"I think Jerry went and picked him up," Dixon said in the locker room after practice. "I think he was outside building a snowman or something. He got caught up in the snow. But he made it."
Dareus had problems with being late to the team facility at the end of the 2013 season, leading to former coach Doug Marrone benching the Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the first quarter of their Week 16 win over the Miami Dolphins that season and then again for the first half of their 2013 finale against the New England Patriots.
