The Sports Xchange

ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. — Andre Reed is back in Buffalo where, during a 15-year epoch, he set all-time franchise receiving records that might never be broken.

Reed is imparting some of the knowledge he accrued during his Pro Football Hall of Fame career on the current flock of Bills receivers as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship program.

Reed was a participant in 2013 with Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs, and after a year off in 2014 to enjoy a whirlwind year of activities surrounding his enshrinement in Canton, Reed is back at it in a place of great familiarity.

“Being in Kansas City two years ago, and here now, I feel a little more comfortable here because I played here,” Reed said Tuesday as the Bills began their three-day mandatory mini-camp.

“The first day was pretty good; got a nice welcome from (coach) Rex (Ryan) and the staff, so it was pretty cool.”

Reed said he has been interested in coaching for a while, and he scratched the itch in 2013 with the Chiefs.

This time, he is giving it another look to gauge whether it is something that interests him moving forward now that his children are grown.

“A lot of teams don’t have a veteran they can look to, and I kind of feel like I’m a veteran for them, the younger guys, and if they want to talk to be about anything, that’s what I’m here for,” Reed said.

“I told these guys you’re going to do what you do on the field, but the smallest things put you over the top — the extra work and that kind of stuff, it makes a difference in how you practice and how you play.”

Ryan is also welcoming former star defensive back, Chris McAllister, who he coached in Baltimore, as well as five other fellows.

“Any time you can bring guys like we’re bringing in, people who can add to us, it’s a win-win,” Ryan said. “It’s great for the individual to come in here and get the experience at this level, but what can they bring to the table?

“We want to bring in really good people than can add to things. We’ve got Chris McAllister, and him and Andre, those are two excellent players, but they also know the game. When you can bring in that kind of expertise to add to the coaches we have, I’m excited about that.”

–Offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson missed the first practice of the mini-camp because of to travel problems, and coach Rex Ryan wasn’t pleased that Henderson could not make it back to Buffalo in time.

“He was not in the building,” Ryan said of the second-year right tackle. “You always tell guys, especially when you’re coming up heading north and all that type of stuff, always try to prepare a little bit. I’ll talk to him about that.”

With Henderson absent, 2014 second-round pick Cyrus Kouandjio took the reps with the first offensive line.

Kouandjio made great strides this offseason after a disappointing rookie season, when he was active for only one game. He and Henderson are expected to battle for the starting job come training camp.

“I think he’s done extremely well,” Ryan said of Koaundjio. “We’ll see when the pads come on. I think he’s done about as good as you can do in the weight room, in the classroom, and carrying out over to these OTA’s, he’s done a tremendous job.

Now the big thing is let’s see what it looks like when the pads come on.”

–Offensive guard Chris Williams is alive and well, Ryan was happy to report.

“Chris is here,” Ryan said. “And (now) I know what he looks like. He’s a big dude. My conversation, I’ll just leave as a private conversation with Chris, but there are voluntary camps and all that type of stuff.

“Obviously we knew Chris’ situation with his rehab and things, but like I said, I know what he looks like now.”

Williams has been slow to recover from back surgery that was performed last season when he missed 13 games.

Signed as a free agent, Williams started the first three games before going down, though he wasn’t all that effective. He did all of his recuperating at home, as well as his rehab, and despite a new coaching staff being hired, he opted to stay away from Buffalo, an odd decision given the circumstances.

Ryan said on a couple of occasions that he was somewhat miffed by Williams’ continued absences.

Because this is a mandatory minicamp, Williams essentially had to come to town, but he is unable to practice and Ryan would not speculate on when he might be cleared to work when training camp begins.

–The Bills bulked up their defensive line depth by signing free agent defensive tackle Andre Fluellen. The 30-year-old from Florida State is a former third-round pick of the Detroit Lions who has played in 77 career NFL games.

“You can’t have enough good players and I think when you add to the competition you know those are real positive things,” coach Rex Ryan said. “You know I just saw him out there and I’m like, ‘Hey, who’s that young kid?’ He’s played in the league a little bit but he can run, he’s got some movement skills.”

To make room for Fluellen on the 90-man roster, the Bills designated safety Deon Broomfield as waived/injured, meaning he will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.