While the Buffalo Bills look to solidify their starting lineup on the offensive line, they'll also be carefully evaluating their various depth options up front. At the crux of figuring out which players may or may not stick around for the 2011 regular season are the team's "swing" players - those who can play both tackle and guard.
The team has reserve players that are pure tackles (such as rookie Chris Hairston) and pure interior linemen (such as Chad Rinehart). In building depth on the line, however, teams tend to prefer players that can provide depth at multiple positions. The Bills have at least three such players vying for roster spots this season.
Mansfield Wrotto is a virtual lock to make the team; he got a contract extension in March, spent most of the 2010 season as the team's starting right tackle, and can also play both guard positions. Two second-year players are challenging Wrotto for that swing role, including 2010 fifth-round pick Ed Wang and former undrafted free agent Cordaro Howard (who remains on the PUP list).
It's unlikely that the Bills will keep more than nine linemen, and it's possible that they go all the way down to eight. Teams typically have seven active on game days. Figuring out which of these three swing linemen will stick is the key to figuring out who else the Bills will be keeping up front.