Tuesday night's practice saw the return of Bills tight ends Scott Chandler and Tony Moeaki, as well as wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. None had played in Sunday's preseason game due to injury. Moeaki left practice about halfway through and came back without pads. Word after practice was that Moeaki didn't suffer a new injury and that the team only planned on having him participate in individual drills. Goodwin, meanwhile, was limited in team drills.

The Bills made a bold statement during the draft – dealing away next year's first-round pick – to move up and select the best receiver in the crop, Clemson's Sammy Watkins with the fourth pick overall. Watkins is a dynamic playmaker who has had an impressive rookie camp. They also swung a deal with the Buccaneers to obtain Mike Williams, looking to rebound from a torn hamstring.

With second-year pros Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin in the mix, the Bills have plenty of weapons surrounding E.J. Manuel, who will open the preseason with a few reps Sunday night in Canton, Ohio.

"He is the essential cog," Jackson, the eighth-year vet, told USA TODAY Sports. "We know that. He knows that. We can only go as far as he takes us."

Manuel sounds like he could face some pressure to make the playoffs this season, but after missing much of last year he's really still just a rookie in terms of games played. He does have some nice weapons to work with in the passing game but the Bills could end up being a run-first team with C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson and newly acquired Bryce Brown in the backfield.

The Bills said after practice that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was dealing with a hamstring injury. We saw Goodwin pull up after a 1-on-1 route in Thursday's practice, grabbing his hamstring. He participated in the rest of that session but didn't get many reps Friday night. It wouldn't be surprising if the Bills held him out Sunday.

The Bills have used a variety of receiver groupings through the first eight practices. Mike Williams, Chris Hogan, and Marquise Goodwin have all seen time alongside Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. How each of those players are used in the regular season could be determined by the situation. T.J. Graham, who we considered part of this mix in the spring, has barely seen any time with the first-team offense. He's fighting for his job.

It appears that Woods is safe as the team's WR2, while Williams is battling for snaps. Hogan is the more traditional slot receiver.