51 Julian Stanford LB

Stanford (nose) missed practice for a second straight day Thursday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

The backup linebacker will be iffy to play in the opener Sunday in Baltimore. However, the defense is relatively healthy otherwise, so his potential absence wouldn't be as big of a deal as it would be later in the season.

Stanford injured his nose and will not return to Sunday's preseason game against the Bengals.

The exact nature of Stanford's injury isn't clear. In his absence, fellow reserve linebacker Tanner Vallejo should see all the reps he can handle for the remainder of the game.

Stanford agreed Wednesday with the Bills on a two-year, $3 million contract, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Stanford served mainly as a reserve linebacker and special teams player for the Jets last season, logging only 92 snaps on defense. He'll likely fill a similar role for the Jets' division rivals in 2018.