Buffalo Bills Training Camp: Chris Hairston Kicks Off LT Battle

Chan Gailey was adamant yesterday that we shouldn't read into this - and we'll try our hardest not to - but when Buffalo Bills training camp officially opened with a walk-through practice this morning, Chris Hairston was the first-team left tackle, per WKBW's Jeff Russo.

Hairston, a 2011 fourth-round draft pick, made seven blind-side starts for the Bills as a rookie. As right tackle Erik Pears recovered from off-season hernia surgery, Hairston took first-team reps on the right side throughout spring practices, clearing the way for rookie second-round pick Cordy Glenn to take the top reps on the left side.

It's Hairston, however, that breaks camp as the starting left tackle. (And again, it was just a walk-through.) As Gailey explained to reporters on Wednesday, the team is planning to give both Hairston and Glenn equal first-team reps throughout camp, so we'll see plenty of Glenn with the starters, likely sooner rather than later. Glenn remains the clear favorite to start, to my eye - but there's nothing wrong with making the rook earn it the old-fashioned way.