Bills safety Donte Whitner defended himself Monday regarding his arrest last month in Cleveland and said he thinks charges against him will be dismissed.

Whitner was charged with aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting arrest outside a Cleveland nightclub. A brawl was taking place, and police said Whitner forced his way past police officers. A stun gun was used to restrain him. Whitner told police, “My cousin’s out there, and they’ve got guns,” according to a police report.

“The latest is I have a court date tomorrow, and hopefully everything gets dropped tomorrow, and that’s what my lawyer is telling me,” Whitner said. “As far as my side of the story, I can assure everyone that I didn’t do anything wrong, and anybody that knows me and knows what type of person I am, what type of things I stand by, they know I didn’t do anything wrong.

“And actually we have a videotape of the whole incident. It was sent to my lawyer, I think last week, so hopefully we’re going to get it all figured out.”

Linebacker Kawika Mitchell has switched his number from 59, which he wore last year with the Bills, to 55, which he wore with the Giants in 2007.

“I enjoy that number, it’s a good number,” Mitchell said. “I think I had two good productive years in both numbers, but one I got to win a Super Bowl in it, so I think that makes it a little more special to me.”

Mitchell couldn’t wear 55 last year because it was owned by former Bill Angelo Crowell.

The only players on the roster who were absent from the voluntary practice were running back Dominic Rhodes, fullback Corey McIntyre and two rookies, safety Dairus Byrd and kicker Dan Urrego. The two rookies were not allowed to attend according to NFL rules, because their colleges have not finished final exams. . . . Rookie linemen Eric Wood and Andy Levitre did not start with the first unit to open the first organized team activity practice. However, they got snaps with the starters during each of the first unit’s sessions. The starting offensive line was, left to right, Langston Walker, Kirk Chambers, Geoff Hangartner, Seth McKinney and Brad Butler. . . . Gibran Hamdan, not free agent signee Ryan Fitzpatrick, served as quarterback for the second-team offense. Hamdan is more familiar with the offense.