Four Starting Jobs Appear Wide Open at Buffalo Bills' Training Camp

The Buffalo Bills are off and running at their first training camp with Joe Brady as head coach, and there promises to be plenty of internal competition over the next month-plus.

In particular, there are four positions where starting roles are clearly available.

We excluded the three down linemen spots on the defensive front since the entire unit is in a transitional phase. While Ed Oliver appears in line for first team snaps at defensive end and Deone Walker looks to be the primary nose tackle, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard plans on a lot of movement during camp.

"There's going to be some huge battles up front, and a big piece of that is the nose," said Leonhard prior to Practice No. 2 at St. John Fisher University. "How many snaps do we want Deone at nose versus possibly 4i? DeWayne Carter, what is his role? There's a number of guys, Phidarian Mathis. There's a lot of guys that are gonna be moving around. You'll see them at different places during camp."

Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard walks off the field after Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University on July 29, 2026 in Pittsford | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Although all four of the roles are up for grabs, we also chose not to include punter, punt returner, fullback and third wide receiver. Specialists aren't technically starters, and the Bills don't always start the game by deploying a third wide receiver or a fullback. We will address these roles in a subsequent posting.

For this conversation, here are the four vacant spots in the Bills' starting lineup.

Left Guard

Primary candidates: Alec Anderson, Austin Corbett

It's starting out as a two-man race to replace starting left guard David Edwards, who left for the New Orleans Saints in free agency.

"The left guard battle on offense, that's a premium spot that we need to make sure we're good there. Our No. 1 thing is to protect No. 17," said Bills' general manager Brandon Beane after the first training camp practice.

Returnee Alec Anderson, who held a sixth-man role the past two seasons, appears to have an inside track based upon his experience in Buffalo. The versatile hog molly was the starting left guard for the 2025 regular season finale against the New York Jets.

Veteran free agent addition Austin Corbett, who was a starter for the Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams, is Anderson's main competition as camp ramps up. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Corbett has starting experience at all three interior positions.

"If he wins the job, it's not going to be big for him. He's had a lot of starts in this league," said Beane. "Right now he's battling a young guy in Alec who's trying to, who's been that extra O-lineman for us and has spot started, even went out to tackle for us in the Pittsburgh game. So it's kind of fun."

Inside Linebacker

Primary candidates: Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr (R)

With Terrel Bernard being one presumed starting inside linebacker in the 3-4 base defense, returnee Dorian Williams and fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr are expected to compete for the spot next to the two-time team captain.

"For linebackers, it's hard to get a true evaluation until the pads come on and you start getting into different situations," said Leonhard. "Early reviews are great. I love the way that they're playing and functioning within the defense."

Williams, who is easing his way back from an OTAs knee injury, has a significant amount of experience as a substitute starter for Buffalo. With Matt Milano on the shelf for most of the 2024 season, Williams started 11 of 17 appearances en-route to making 117 tackles.

Like Williams, Elarms-Orr has the physical tools needed for the job. It is, however, a significant jump from college into a pivotal role in an NFL system. Although they were working out in gym shorts with no pads, the rookie made his presence felt throughout OTAs.

Jun 9, 2026; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr (52) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think Kaleb had a good spring. It's t-shirts and shorts," said Beane.

Third-year linebacker Joe Andreessen will get a look as well. While he's fundamentally sound, his physical ability doesn't always translate well in pass coverage.

Safety

Primary candidates: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone, Damar Hamlin, Jalon Kilgore (R)

With Cole Bishop, a 2024 second-round pick, presumably locked into one starting safety spot, the Bills need to identify his primary running mate.

While Super Bowl LIX champion Chauncey Gardner-Johnson may be the early favorite, veterans Geno Stone and Damar Hamlin both bring starting experience to the table.

Stone led all NFL safeties by making seven interceptions for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Hamlin, who has 27 career starts, have five years of experience with the Bills' organization.
Then, there's fifth-round rookie Jalon Kilgore, whose versatility makes him an instant factor.

"I was always a Swiss Army knife that kind of did a lot of different things, and that's what I like my safety group to be," said Leonhard. "There's gonna be a lot of different roles and different positions and techniques they're asked to do."

CJ Gardner-Johnson — Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) makes an interception but is called back for a defensive penalty against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Outside Cornerback

Primary candidates: Maxwell Hairston, Davison Igbinosun (R)

All signs point to Christian Benford maintaining his CB1 status this season. Meanwhile, free agent addition Dee Alford figures to replace Taron Johnson in the slot.

As for the starter opposite Benford, the Bills will likely choose between two young talents.

First-round pick Maxwell Hairston is an incumbent of sorts after earning three starts during an injury-interrupted rookie campaign. Hairston, who was the fastest player at the 2025 NFL Combine, possesses a prototypical man coverage toolbox.

"We love Max. I was a huge fan of Max coming out of college as well, and we're not down on any of the corners we had," said Leonhard in late May.

Meanwhile, second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun brings size and length to the position battle. The Ohio State product made 52 starts at the Power 4 level in college.

"The size, the length that he has is a little bit different than what we had in the room. We just felt like that was the right person to get in the room with that pick, and excited that it went that way," said Leonhard during OTAs.

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