Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel has been cleared to return to play after being sidelined more than a month with a right knee injury.
According to ESPN, Manuel will resume practicing with the team this week as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Doug Marrone has indicated he will decide sometime later in the the week if his prized rookie will actually take the field.
"Definitely looking forward to getting back to practice full course, getting as many reps as Coach allows me to get," Manuel told ESPN on Monday. "It's his decision at the end of the day"
Manuel suffered a sprain to his LCL in an Oct. 3 loss to the Browns. Thad Lewis started the first three games in his absence before suffering a rib injury that resulted in undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel starting Sunday's loss against Kansas City.
"Manuel said he'll be ready in Sunday," wide receiver Stevie Johnson told ESPN. "After that, there's no excuses.
Starting the first five games of the season, Manuel completed 57 percent of his passes and threw for five touchdowns. His injury came on a third-quarter scramble and marked the second time he had been injured in his brief NFL career.
"I think it's just part of playing football," he said. "That could have happened playing basketball too. I'm not going to play scared or anything like that."
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