New Bills Starter Alec Anderson Admits to Having One Thing to Figure Out Before Week 1

Now that he's the starter at left guard, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Alec Anderson has one thing to figure out before the regular season opener.

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Alec Anderson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Continuity is so important along the offensive line in the NFL, and while the Buffalo Bills have that for the most part in 2026, they are replacing one of their starters from 2025.

That starter is left guard David Edwards, who moved on in free agency after signing a four-year, $61 million deal with the New Orleans Saints earlier this offseason.

From there, the Bills had a competition on their hands between Alec Anderson, who has been with the team since 2022, and Austin Corbett, who was signed in free agency this year.

With the regular season rapidly approaching, the Bills notified Anderson that he has won the competition and will be the replacement for Edwards.

"Going all the way from practice squad to active, inactive, to the jumbo stuff," Anderson said. "Now getting to step into this role as being the starting left guard, it's really changed my perspective of how I hold myself accountable and hold myself to a standard that these guys hold themselves to."

Alec Anderson has one thing to figure out

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Alec Anderson (70) lines up for a play against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Anderson's new role comes a new pregame routine, he said, although he hasn't quite figured out how he's going to approach that yet.

"I guess the only thing that changes is my pregame routine," the Bills left guard said. "I guess I got to find a pregame routine in the NFL that's for a starter, so that's my next goal."

The good news is, Anderson has plenty of veterans to lean on for advice in terms of how to attack that, so he'll be just fine.

How we got here

Bills Austin Corbett lines up against Sedrick Van Pran-Granger during a drill at Buffalo Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug. 6, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Anderson's rise from a cut rookie, to a practice squad player, to a backup to a starter is impressive, to say the least. He's no doubt a prime example of why young players need to stick with it despite experiencing early struggles.

The competition between Anderson and Corbett was a close one, with both players performing well over the first two weeks of the preseason. Neither one gave up a sack or pressure, and their performances in the run game were just about equal.

The fact that Anderson was able to beat out Corbett amounts to an impressive accomplishment. After all, Corbett is a nine-year veteran with 78 starts under his belt.

What's even better is the Bills have a strong insurance policy in Corbett just in case Anderson doesn't work out.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —