Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Most Crucial Training Camp Position Battles to Watch

With the lull of the offseason set to give way to training camp, the Cincinnati Bengals sit in the spotlight as one of the NFL's more interesting teams. 

After yet another solid draft class, coach Marvin Lewis and the front office will face some tougher-than-usual decisions when cut days arrive. There is deep talent at each position and only so many spots to go around.

The dog days of summer are something every fan should monitor with a watchful eye. With so much depth at each position, the players will produce some of the most memorable positional battles in recent years.

Within, let's take a look at some of these battles. The Bengals are not searching for starters per se, but such a deep team means some of the back-end battles will steal the show.

5. Corner

The Bengals have a good problem at cornerback—there are too many talented bodies.

Leon Hall, Adam Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick will start next season, health permitting. Kirkpatrick's fellow first-round pick who has been waiting in the wings, Darqueze Dennard, will also see time in certain packages.

But the Bengals also added Josh Shaw in the draft and grabbed Troy Hill in free agency, two younger options talented enough to make the team. They will clash with depth options such as Chris Lewis-Harris and Brandon Ghee for roster spots.

While not the most interesting of the roster battles in the Queen City this summer, it's an important one nonetheless. Over the years, corner has been a sour spot for injuries with the Bengals, so sorting out the proper depth is an important goal.

4. Safety

David Richard/Associated Press

Like corner, safety isn't the most interesting position in Cincinnati this summer.

Reggie Nelson still starts in one slot, and George Iloka will start in the other slot after a breakout season in which he finished as the 22nd-ranked safety in the league at Pro Football Focus.

Behind the starters is where things become more interesting. Shawn Williams continues to wait in the wings and might see more rotational action next year, but the addition of Derron Smith out of Fresno State in the draft complicates things.

Williams, to this point at least, is more of a run defender, whereas Smith showed in college he's an elite ball hawk with solid instincts. Sprinkle in other depth names such as Shiloh Keo and Erick Dargan, and things are not so simple.

With versatility in mind, the Bengals will need to make a few notable cuts at the position, so keep an eye out.

3. Defensive Line

David Richard/Associated Press

With the return of Michael Johnson and Pat Sims, as well as the addition of rookie Marcus Hardison, things in the defensive trenches are convoluted in Cincinnati.

The familiar duo of Johnson and Carlos Dunlap will start on the edges. Ditto for Domata Peko and Geno Atkins on the interior, barring a change of heart by the coaching staff on the former.

It leaves a hodgepodge of names behind the top four to fight for the scraps. Margus Hunt and Wallace Gilberry have the talent to contribute on the edges, but Will Clarke is worth keeping around as a project, and it doesn't make sense to cut ties with Hardison.

On the interior, Sims could be a strong run defender, but Brandon Thompson and Devon Still feature decent upside and rotational abilities.

In other words, something will have to give. Like the draft itself, Cincinnati needs to find the proper present-future balance. The players will help in the process when they fight it out this summer.

2. Linebacker

The Bengals made a few interesting moves at linebacker this year, and starting gigs might be up for grabs.

Cincinnati brought back veteran Rey Maualuga but also added A.J. Hawk in free agency, giving it somewhat redundant players in the linebacking corps. Unless the team is comfortable sitting one while the other starts, one of the two might compete for a starting gig on the strong side.

Also influencing some of the battle will be the health of Vontaze Burfict. If he can't go to start the season, someone such as Sean Porter or rookie Paul Dawson could get the nod on the weak side.

Remember, other names the coaching staff likes, such as Emmanuel Lamur, Jayson DiManche and Marquis Flowers, are also around. For a team running a 4-3, keeping so many names doesn't make sense.

With starting slots perhaps on the line and so few jobs to go around, linebacker is one of training camp's most important positions to watch. At the least, the Bengals have more options than in past years.

1. Wide Receiver

On the offensive side of things, the biggest spot up for grabs might be wide receiver considering both rookie tackles tout more of a long-term outlook.

At wideout, nobody will steal the jobs of the top three, those being A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. Well, if someone puts forth an unexpected performance, Sanu's spot in the slot also may be up for grabs, but let's presume the Rutgers product continues to progress.

Fourth receiver is where it gets interesting. Brandon Tate is there, but his return job is threatened by seventh-round rookie Mario Alford. So are his base-offense snaps thanks to the addition of Denarius Moore.

The Moore-Alford-Tate battle has no easy answer, and don't forget outliers such as Cobi Hamilton and James Wright.

Cincinnati can only keep so many receivers, and this particular battle not only impacts the offense's ability to move the chains, but the special team unit's ability to put the offense in a good situation.

In other words, it's the most important battle of training camp. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of July 15. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.