The Bills managed to keep the heart of their offensive line intact, but one job is still up for grabs as training camp approaches: left guard.
That was the spot Buffalo had to solve after free agency, and it came down to a tough choice for Brandon Beane. The Bills president of football operations knew there wasn’t enough salary cap room to bring back both center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards while preserving the continuity of a line that had stayed together for nearly two seasons.
Buffalo ended up landing McGovern, who came a little cheaper and, as Beane pointed out, plays the more critical role because of his direct connection to Josh Allen and the way he handles communication and blocking adjustments.
“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.”
Edwards, meanwhile, landed a big contract with the Saints that could reach $61 million over four years if he maxes it out. That currently ranks as the 10th-highest deal among NFL guards.
McGovern’s deal was no small payday either. His four-year, $52 million total value ranks seventh among centers in the league.
Now the Bills move into camp with the left guard spot unsettled, and the battle appears to be between Austin Corbett and Alec Anderson.
Corbett arrived on a one-year, $1.25 million contract soon after Edwards left. He was a second-round pick by the Browns in 2018, was traded to the Rams during the 2019 season, and quickly became a starter there before helping Los Angeles win the Super Bowl in 2021.
He then signed with Carolina in 2022, started all 17 games that season, and suffered a knee injury in the final game. Since then, injuries have limited him to missing 29 of 51 possible games over the last three seasons.
Corbett said Buffalo appealed to him for a lot of reasons, including what he had heard about the organization 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 in Buffalo since 2022, first on the practice squad and then on the active roster in 2023 without appearing in a game. In 2024, he became the sixth offensive lineman in “jumbo” packages and also made four starts as an injury replacement, logging 335 offensive snaps including the postseason. His role shrank last year, but he still 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,” Anderson said. “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 are a few other names in the room, but none look like real threats to win the job. Rookie seventh-round pick Ar’maj Reed-Adams and undrafted rookie free agent Bruno Fina are long shots.
Nick Broeker, a 2023 seventh-round pick who spent two seasons as a backup with the Texans before missing all of 2025, is back in Buffalo. Chase Lundt, a 2025 sixth-round pick, was drafted as a tackle and has only recently gotten some reps at guard.
For now, it’s Corbett and Anderson who are set to decide it.
“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.”
In Other News...
Bradley Chubb Just Added To The Jim Leonhard Buzz In Buffalo
The Bills brought in Bradley Chubb on a three-year deal after his release from the Dolphins, adding another proven edge rusher to a defense that has been a concern in recent seasons. It is the kind of move Buffalo has been making as it tries to reshape that side of the ball, with new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard part of the broader effort to get more from a unit that has too often needed help in big moments.
Chubb has already sounded comfortable with Leonhard, and the early buzz around the coordinator has only grown since the signing. The veteran pass rusher has described Leonhard in glowing terms and pointed to similarities with the coaching environment he knew as a rookie, which is notable for a Bills team still sorting through its new defensive identity. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Poyer Just Gave Bills Mafia A Reason To Wonder
Jordan Poyer gave Bills fans something to talk about again when he posted photos of himself in a Buffalo uniform on social media, a move that immediately stirred up reunion chatter around a player who spent seven seasons with the team. After a recent stint with the Dolphins and a return to Buffalo during the 2025 season, the veteran defensive back remains one of the more recognizable names tied to the franchises recent run.
For now, though, there is no official word on what comes next, and that uncertainty is part of what makes the post so interesting. Poyers future with Buffalo is still open-ended, whether that ends up being on the field or in some kind of coaching or development capacity, and the Bills also have already put resources into younger defensive backs, which only adds another layer to the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen And The Bills Are Facing A Brutal New Reality
The Bills are heading into 2026 with the kind of expectations that no longer leave much room for regular-season celebration. ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck framed Buffalos situation as one where the wins in September through January matter less than the result that comes after, because the franchise has spent enough time piling up success to know the real conversation starts when the postseason arrives.
Josh Allen remains the face of that pressure, and the challenge only gets sharper with Joe Brady taking over as head coach. Hasselbeck pointed to the way other teams have been judged after strong regular seasons, and Buffalo now finds itself in that same uncomfortable lane, where anything short of a deep playoff run will keep the scrutiny squarely on the Bills. [Read more 🡒]