ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- In his first offseason as head coach, Joe Brady laid out clear goals for the Buffalo Bills to accomplish during the offseason program.
As quarterback Josh Allen listed them last week, "Connect, compete, condition. And then come out here and just have a lot of fun and play some football."
As the team breaks for the summer, the message from One Bills Drive is that those early goals were met.
"We're competing at a very high level," Allen said. "Guys are flying around; we've done a good job of connecting." The quarterback pointed out his teammates still cheering for each other as Allen conducted his post-practice news conference.
The three days of mandatory minicamp -- two full practices and a walk-through -- offered the clearest insight yet of where this team stands with the season drawing closer.
Here are four things we learned.
Left guard competition
The battle for the left guard spot continues between free agent addition Austin Corbett and returning backup and jumbo tight end Alec Anderson. Based on practices, Corbett has the early lead.
"It's important to see the technique and the communication," Brady said. "... I'm understanding that there is a point in the offseason, they're only allowed to be so physical. So, it is hard to make some of the judgments."
For the past two seasons, Anderson has been active for all 17 games, starting six. He signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Corbett, a nine-year veteran, spent the past four seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
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Corbett and Anderson have experience under similar systems. Former Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer retired this offseason, and Brady hired Pat Meyer, who worked as an assistant under Kromer previously, to fill the role. Corbett was coached by Kromer on the 2020 Los Angeles Rams.
"[Corbett has] seen so much, also from the Kromer tree, so that helps a lot," center Connor McGovern said. "... Alec, I think the past few years, being the backup center, it's really slowed the game down for him and allowed him to see more."
Training camp will provide a better look at the position that has experienced significant turnover in the last decade.