All week long, rookie Don Barclay. who replaced Lang after he got hurt last week against Minnesota, trained at right tackle and would be more than ready to start. So Lang could be designated for play only if an injury occurs.
But let's assume that Lang is available for full-time duty. Do you put him at right tackle or do you return him to his natural left guard position knowing you've got Barclay ready to go?
Barclay is a solid run blocker and with snow falling as we speak, it might be better to have your best run-blocking unit in the game, which would be Lang at guard and Barclay at tackle. It would mean putting Evan Dietrich-Smith on the bench or moving him into the center position if veteran Jeff Saturday (foot) is struggling with his injury.