Alec Anderson enters Buffalo Bills training camp as the favorite at left guard, but Austin Corbett is ready to challenge him for the starting job.
Training camp is about more than rookies trying to make the roster. It's also where veterans have to prove they deserve the opportunities in front of them, and few players have more riding on the next few weeks than Alec Anderson.
After serving as the top reserve for the Buffalo Bills along the offensive line for the past several seasons, Anderson enters camp as the favorite to replace David Edwards at left guard. It's an opportunity he's worked toward since joining the Bills, but it's far from guaranteed.
The Bills signed veteran Austin Corbett this offseason for a reason. While Corbett brings experience from more than 90 NFL games, he's also coming off multiple injury-plagued seasons. If he's healthy, though, he'll push Anderson throughout camp for the starting job.
That makes this one of the more intriguing position battles on the roster.
For Anderson, the stakes go well beyond simply earning a spot in the starting lineup for Week 1. Winning the job would establish him as a full-time starter on one of the league's better offensive lines and could solidify his role for years to come. Losing it would likely send him back into the swing lineman role he has filled throughout much of his career, rotating in as an extra blocker and providing depth across multiple positions.
The encouraging part for the Bills is that they've put themselves in a position where either outcome benefits the team.
If Anderson wins the competition, it means one of their own developed success stories has taken the next step. He's already proven to be a dependable reserve and has earned the trust of the coaching staff whenever his number has been called. Taking over at left guard would be another sign that Buffalo can continue replacing veteran starters with younger, homegrown talent.
If Corbett wins the job, it likely means the veteran has returned to the form that made him one of the NFL's more reliable interior offensive linemen before injuries slowed him down.
Either way, the Bills should feel good about the depth they've created along the offensive line.
Still, no player may have more at stake over the course of training camp than Anderson. After years of waiting for an opportunity to compete for a starting role, he'll have every chance to prove he belongs. What he does with that opportunity could determine not only who starts at left guard this season, but how Buffalo's offensive line is built moving forward.
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