Cordy Glenn, Chris Hairston To Compete For Bills' Left Tackle Job

Earlier this week, we discussed the idea that a large amount of OTA reps might make rookie Cordy Glenn the favorite to start at left tackle for the Buffalo Bills this season. If you take head coach Chan Gailey at his word - and there isn't a good reason not to at this point - there's no indication that Glenn has any current advantage over his chief competition for the job, second-year pro Chris Hairston.

"He and Chris will be working at left tackle (in training camp)," Gailey told reporters at the close of mandatory mini-camp on Thursday. "I do not know who will win that job."

Glenn may still have an advantage - he has spent the last month taking first-team reps at left tackle during spring practices, while Hairston was forced to play on the right side while starter Erik Pears sat out rehabbing - and that may give him a very slight early advantage in the competition. But clearly, Gailey isn't remotely ready to call the race.

Gailey's main concern with Glenn at this point, it seems, has more to do with whether or not the rook can adjust to an increasing level of competition and speed as the off-season progresses.

"He has the ability. Can he transition that into pads and the speed of the game? This is just one speed," Gailey explained. "There is another speed when you hit training camp, another speed when you hit preseason games, a total (different) speed when you hit regular season and another speed when you hit playoffs. Can you transition with all those speed changes? That is a different deal."

Gailey is not one to split reps with specific units during training camp when there's open competition for a job; remember when Trent Edwards took all of the first-team reps in 2010 despite a supposed quarterback "competition"? With that in mind, I still expect Glenn to open training camp running with the ones on the blind side - and that, just as it did with Edwards, could give him an inside track at the starting job. Just don't be surprised if Hairston leapfrogs him in the event that Glenn struggles.