Alec Anderson has spent four years waiting for a shot like this. Now he has one — and it’s not guaranteed.
The Buffalo Bills opened training camp on July 29 at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, and the biggest question up front isn’t about Josh Allen or the pass rush. It’s about who lines up at left guard. That job opened when David Edwards left in free agency for the New Orleans Saints, and it’s the first true vacancy on Buffalo’s offensive line since 2022, according to the Niagara Gazette.
Anderson, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2022, is the incumbent. He’s also never started a full season anywhere on the line. That’s the tension defining this camp battle.
A backup with a real chance
Anderson spent his rookie year on the practice squad, then clawed onto the 53-man roster and stayed there — often as Buffalo’s extra offensive lineman in short-yardage and goal-line packages. According to SI.com’s Bills coverage, he logged 480 regular-season snaps across his first three seasons and started six games at various spots along the line between 2024 and 2025.
He’s not walking into this competition alone. The Bills brought in veteran Austin Corbett, who spent the last four seasons in Carolina and has started 78 games over an eight-year NFL career, per News 4 Buffalo. Corbett signed a one-year deal, mirroring the short-term contract Buffalo gave Edwards a year ago — a pattern that suggests the front office is hedging rather than committing.
Reporting on where the early edge sits is mixed. News 4 Buffalo reported Anderson has the early advantage after two seasons as a reserve, while ESPN’s training camp preview instead put Corbett ahead entering camp. Neither the Bills nor a beat reporter with direct knowledge of practice reps has confirmed a leader as of this writing — this is a competition still being decided on the field, not a settled depth chart.
Why it matters for Buffalo’s offense
The stakes go beyond one roster spot. Buffalo’s offensive line returns four of five starters — Dion Dawkins at left tackle, Spencer Brown at right tackle, O’Cyrus Torrence at right guard, and Connor McGovern at center after signing a four-year, $52 million extension this offseason, according to Yahoo Sports. That continuity matters. A unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL during a recent season doesn’t want to plug in an unproven piece and watch the whole rhythm change.
Anderson isn’t unproven so much as untested in a full-time role. He’s known around the building for his edge — teammates and coaches have described him as one of the “nastier” players in the room, the kind of lineman who sets a tone rather than just fills a spot. Whether that translates to holding up over 17 games at left guard, against NFL edge rushers stunting and looping every Sunday, is the real question camp will answer.
“I think it’s just another training camp coming in and I just get to prove why I get to stay on the team,” Anderson told News 4 Buffalo. “This year is just competing to be a starter.”
That’s the whole competition in one sentence. Anderson isn’t fighting to make the roster anymore. He’s fighting to start.
What’s next
Buffalo holds seven open practices at St. John Fisher through August 7 before preseason games begin. Head coach Joe Brady, in his first camp running the Bills after taking over for Sean McDermott, has already said he intends to run an “extremely tough” camp — meaning the left guard battle should get settled the hard way, in pads, rather than by default.
No announcement on a starter has been made. Anything reported before the Bills or Brady confirm a decision should be read as camp observation, not a final call.
