Langston Walker wasn’t exactly giddy when he learned he was going to replace Jason Peters as the Bills’ starting left tackle last spring. Walker showed all the enthusiasm of a 14-year-old who had been told to clean the family garage on a Saturday morning.

He had no choice but to like it.

“They asked me to do it and I’m doing it,” Walker said back in May minicamp. “I’m what you’ve got.”

It has become increasingly evident that the coaches share a modest regard for Walker’s virtues as left tackle. Last week, an ESPN.com report said the Bills’ coaching staff was divided on Walker at the position, and that there was growing sentiment for raw but improving second- year man Demetrius Bell.

On Monday, Dick Jauron was asked if there was any chance Bell could start at left tackle in the opener Sept. 14. I smiled and prepared myself for one of Jauron’s typical, unilluminating responses. Instead, Jauron praised Bell and lamented the fact that he was out with a minor back injury and unable to continue his pursuit of the No. 1 job. It was stunning. Jauron could have squashed the issue right there. In a firm, resolute voice, he could have affirmed his faith in Walker, saying “Langston is my starting left tackle. End of story.”

But he didn’t, and it’s not the end of the story. Jauron backed away later. He said you could have asked him about anyone on his roster and he would have reacted the same way.

Really? He would have been noncommittal if someone asked about Terrell Owens’ starting job? Marcus Stroud or Paul Posluszny? Or even Trent Edwards?

Jauron rarely shows a lack of confidence. He could be tied to the railroad tracks, with a locomotive bearing down on him, and say everything was OK. He’s still confident about his offense, for heaven’s sake. If he and his underlings are having second thoughts about the most important position on the offensive line, that’s a very big issue indeed.

Bell is an intriguing player, an athlete who summons memories of Peters in his early days. But he was a seventh-round pick. He didn’t even play football until the summer of 2005. Bell, the son of former NBA star Karl Malone, went to Northwestern State on a basketball scholarship. He has never appeared in a regular-season NFL game.

Eventually, the plan might be to shift Walker back to right tackle, move Brad Butler back to guard and put rookie guard Andy Levitre on the bench. Still, the mere notion of starting Bell at left tackle is a poor reflection on Walker and a troubling sign for an offense in crisis.

It doesn’t say much for the organization, either. When the Bills traded Peters, they figured Walker would be a capable replacement. They didn’t take a left tackle in the draft or find a free agent, fortifying the offensive line’s interior instead.

Maybe Bell was the fall-back choice all along. If he continues to develop, Bell could replace Walker and develop into another Peters—a rising left tackle at bargain rates, until he demands a contract commensurate with his status.

Still, it would be an indictment of the front office if Bell took over for Walker this year (not to mention the Marv Levy experiment as general manager). When they decided not to pay Peters top tackle money, they sold Walker to the public as an adequate replacement. Everyone signed off on it, from the Hall of Fame owner down to the offensive line coach.

If Bell takes over at left tackle, they’ll have a virtual rookie watching the quarterback’s blind side. They have rookies at both guard positions. And if things continue to go badly for the offense, I could see the embattled head coach pointing to the line and using youth as an excuse. Really, how can you judge a coach when the offensive line is rebuilding?

Did I just say “rebuilding?”