The Buffalo Bills reached a contract agreement with their second-round draft choice Wednesday, and their players converged on St. John Fisher College for Thurday's opening of training camp.

Torell Troup, the 315-pound nose tackle from Central Florida, agreed to terms on a four-year deal and was expected to be on the field for the first practice, Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said.

The agreement left only first-round pick C.J. Spiller unsigned among the Bills' nine draft picks. Only two of 32 NFL first-round draft picks had reached agreements as of Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Nix said Bills left tackle Demetrius Bell, the team's biggest injury worry of the offseason, would be ready to practice at the start of training camp. Bell is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Two other Bills won't be ready to take the field. Starting linebacker Paul Posluszny said he expects to miss the first couple of weeks of camp due to a groin injury that required minor surgery two weeks ago. And reserve safety Jon Corto, the Orchard Park native, expects to be out until the third preseason game due to a broken left wrist he suffered during spring practices.

The Bills will hit the field Thursday for their first camp practice under new coach Chan Gailey from 3 to 5:30 p.m. It's open to the public. Buffalo will practice in the morning and evening on Friday, but only the evening workout will be open to the public. That runs 7 to 9 p.m., and all of the free tickets required for entry have been distributed. The practices Saturday and Sunday both will be 3 to 5:30 p.m.

Troup got a deal that is worth a total of about $4.5 million, with $2.6 million guaranteed. Troup is expected to fill a key role as a run-stuffing backup to starting nose tackle Kyle Williams.

Spiller is going to wind up with a deal in the range of $19 million overall, but more first-round deals have to get done before the Bills and Spiller's agent can be comfortable with the precise parameters. Spiller was drafted ninth overall.

Nix said negotiations are ongoing with Spiller's agent, Gary Wichard of Los Angeles.

"When you're talking, things are starting to work, and the other first-rounders are starting to fall," Nix said. "So that'll help us. There's a reason that first-rounders are all signed about the same time, so it's not unusual."

Bell started eight games last year but tore knee ligaments in the ninth game of the season. The Bills are counting on the seventh-round draft pick from 2008 to improve this year as the starting left tackle. He did not line up with the offense during spring work.

"He's really doing good, he really is," Nix said. "Now I tell you we're going to try to be smart with him and not take him out there and grind him twice a day. But he's really further along than we hoped at this time."

Second-year man Jamon Meredith is Bell's backup. Rookie Ed Wang and second-year man Nick Hennessey are the other left tackles on the roster.

Is Nix comfortable with that lineup heading into the season? "Well, you know, you'd like to have maybe added a guy in the mix," he said. "I think we've been down this road so many times. If it's a clear improvement at that position, then you do it. But if it's not, I don't think you retard the process that you hope these young guys go through. They've got great ability. They've got everything except time on the job."

Nix also said he has not talked to Aaron Schobel, the team's veteran defensive tackle who has contemplated retirement all offseason. Schobel said Tuesday he's leaning toward returning to the team, a reversal of his stance from early June.

Bills players had until 7 this morning to report to camp. Schobel said he needs about another 10 days to make a decision.

Nix said he would like Schobel to play.

"Oh absolutely, he's a good football player," Nix said. "You'd like to have him. But I'm not sure he really knows what he wants to do. I haven't talked to him."

Elsewhere on the injury front, Posluszny said he suffered a minor groin injury during spring practices and had surgery on advice of team doctors.

"They said take care of it now, miss a couple weeks of camp, and be great for the season, as opposed to letting it linger and having it get worse on me in Week Seven or Eight," the fourth-year linebacker said. "I feel like I'll be back with the team pretty fast because it was a really, really minor thing."

Corto had surgery to have a rod inserted into his wrist. He said he's expecting to be ready to play in the third preseason game of the summer. But that's going to make it harder for him to make the squad for a third straight season. Corto is a special-teams ace and is vying for a backup job at safety this year. The Bills would appear to be set with their top four at the position -- Jairus Byrd, Donte Whitner, Bryan Scott and George Wilson. Not all NFL teams keep a fifth safety.

mgaughan@buffnews.comnull