Bills' Michael Hoecht: Expects to be ready by start of season

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Hoecht (Achilles) said Friday that he anticipates being ready to play by the beginning of the 2026 season, Ryan Talbot of syracuse.com reports. "Yeah, that's very much my expectation, I think it's everybody else's expectations," Hoecht said.

Hoecht was suspended for the first six weeks of last season but was impactful upon his return to action, posting 2.0 sacks in two contests. However, he tore his Achilles against Kansas City in Week 9 and missed the remainder of the campaign. Hoecht mentioned Friday that he plans to be finished with his rehab from the injury July 1 -- if that's the case, he could be cleared to participate from the beginning of training camp, which starts July 23. Of course, Buffalo's training staff will have the ultimate say in when Hoecht is good to go and how rapidly he'll be allowed to ramp up. With that said, it appears the veteran defensive end's arrow is pointing up ahead of what will be his second year of the three-year contract he signed with the Bills last March.