2 leaders emerge in battle at guard

FLOWERY BRANCH — Perhaps the Falcons’ biggest offseason project is to figure out who will replace Chris Chester at right guard.

At the start of OTAs, the Falcons have been rotating several players at the position, but coach Dan Quinn named the front-runners.

“The first two guys who will be battling for it will be Wes Schweitzer and Ben Garland,” Quinn said Thursday. “They’ve had a fantastic offseason. ”

Chester retired after 11 years in the NFL, including the past two with the Falcons.

Excluding center Alex Mack and left guard Andy Levitre, theoretically seven players will compete for the opening. Of the players on the 90-man roster, only Trevor Robinson has started NFL games.

Robinson, who played at Notre Dame, started seven games with Cincinnati (2012) and 14 with San Diego (201415) as a center. Cornelius Edison also signed.

The Falcons drafted Sean Harlow in the fourth round and signed former Auburn guard Robert Leff and centers Travis Averill and Cam Keizur as undrafted players.

The backup interior linemen must be functional at center, left guard and right guard.

Mack expects the battle, which will be under the direction of offensive line coach Chris Morgan, to rage well into training camp.

“We have a lot of guys who work really hard,” Mack said. “In OTAs, we’ll get a lot of reps in there. In training camp, we’ll start to narrow it down.”

Schweitzer is considered the early favorite.

“He’s a big, powerful guy,” Mack said. “He’s been hitting it pretty hard in the weight room. He’s done a real good job of working hard.”

Harlow, a tackle at Oregon State, is making the conversion to guard and could be a future starter in the league.

“From the rookie class, we’ll let that play itself out,” Quinn said. “But Harlow has received some time at both of the guard spots as well.”

Trufant mending: Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant, who’s recovering from pectoral surgery, could return to action sooner than expected.

Trufant could be ready for the end of the OTAs or the team’s mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for June 13-15.

“I expect him to be back for camp, but possibly even sooner where he could work into some portion of practice over the next two weeks,” Quinn said Thursday. “We’ll see where that goes.”

Trufant, who had surgery Dec. 1, was expected to have a five-month recovery period.

“He’s really pushed it from a rehab standpoint,” Quinn said. “He’s strong. He’s fit. Hopefully, in the next few days we’ll have some clarity on that, and he can do a little bit.”

With Trufant out, second-year player Jalen Collins moved into the starting lineup and played decently at right cornerback.

Trufant, who went to the Pro Bowl after the 2015 season, is considered the Falcons’ top cornerback and signed a six-year, $68.75 million contract extension this offseason.

“He’s champing at the bit to get back with his guys,” Quinn said. “We’ll always do right by him by making sure he’s ready to go.”