This is the second in a 10-part series answering key questions for the Buffalo Bills heading into training camp. Who will be the new starting left guard?
One or the other. That was the reality for Buffalo Bills president of football operations Brandon Beane in the days leading up to the start of free agency regarding re-signing center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards.
Beane knew he did not have the salary cap space to retain them both and keep together an offensive line that had enjoyed nearly unprecedented continuity for the previous two seasons. He figured he could swing it for one and it wound up being McGovern because he cost a little less, but also he plays the more important position given the direct relationship he has with Josh Allen, and the responsibility he takes on when it comes to communicating and changing blocking schemes.
“We knew it was the longest of long shots to keep them both with where their markets were going to be,” Beane said. “And I’ll even tell you, 12 hours before (McGovern’s deal) was done, I thought we were probably losing them both. I didn’t feel great about it. I hadn’t given up, but I didn’t have a lot of faith for either and so we were also making plans because you’ve got to be prepared for anything.”
McGovern and the Bills came to an agreement while Edwards got a lavish deal from the Saints that could be worth $61 million if he maxes it out for all four years which currently stands as the 10th-highest deal among all NFL guards.
McGovern did pretty well for himself, too, as his $52 million total value across four years ranks seventh-highest among all centers in the league.
Bills enter training camp with a key offensive line battle
With guard O’Cyrus Torrence and tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown returning, the Bills still have to fill the void left by Edwards and heading into training camp, it looks like the two primary candidates are proven veteran Austin Corbett and unproven veteran Alec Anderson.
“They’re both good players,” new offensive line coach Pat Meyer told The Buffalo News during the mandatory mini-camp in June. “They’re both tough kids. I know that. So, they’re going to compete for it. It’s a good thing, it really is. Competition at every position is a good thing because you can’t be complacent, sitting there going, ‘I’m going against a certain guy, I can take a play off.’ It’s going to be decided in camp, and it’ll be a good competition.”
Corbett signed a one-year, $1.25 million free agent contract shortly after Edwards’ departure became official. He entered the league in 2018 as a second-round pick (No. 33 overall) of the Browns, was traded midseason 2019 to the Rams and immediately became a full-time starter and helped Los Angeles win the Super Bowl in 2021.
He moved on to the Panthers in 2022 and after starting all 17 games that year, he blew out his knee in the final game and so began a brutal spate of injuries that forced him to miss 29 of 51 possible games the last three seasons.
Now he’s trying to make one final push and he chose to sign with Buffalo because he loved so much about the organization, both from his own observations but also input from others familiar with the team, the culture, and the area.
“Hitting free agency this time was like I’ve made my money, I’ve done that. This is purely that I love this game so much, even though it hasn’t necessarily loved me back,” he said. “This is my time to go love the game again, get back into that mindset of a new opportunity, new facelift, and get out there and enjoy this game and get back to what I’ve done.”
Anderson has been with the Bills since 2022, spending his first year on the practice squad and on the active roster in 2023 though he never played in a game. In 2024 he carved a role as the sixth offensive lineman in “jumbo” packages and also started four games as an injury replacement, playing 335 offensive snaps counting the postseason, but then saw his playing time reduced last year though he dressed for all 17 games and started two.
“It’s just competition, and I haven’t been doing anything else now for the past five years,” said Anderson, who came to Buffalo as an undrafted free agent. “I’ve been competing, that’s just what it is. It’s another training camp coming in and I just get to prove why I should stay on the team. This year, it’s competing to be a starter. I don’t really put too much more weight into that because I’m going to show up as Alec Anderson and I’m going to put it all out there and let it be.”
There really isn’t anyone else to be watching for in the battle. Rookie seventh-round pick Ar’maj Reed-Adams and undrafted rookie free agent Bruno Fina are long shots to make the team. Same for Nick Broeker, a 2023 seventh-round pick who did not make the Bills originally and signed with the Texans where he was a backup for two seasons before missing all of 2025 and is now back in Buffalo. And 2025 sixth-round pick Chase Lundt was drafted as a tackle and has only recently been getting some trial reps at guard.
The left guard spot will come down to Corbett and Anderson, may the best man win.
“Alec’s played a lot of football here, we’ve got guys who have been vets that have played a lot in the NFL,” coach Joe Brady said. “We’ve got some draft picks, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for a lot of guys to compete. We know that there’s going to be a revolving door right now, just because I think it’s a great opportunity for us. Once we get to training camp, that’s when it’s obviously gonna be real for those guys.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills saved their offensive line core but one spot remains unsettled
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
