Predicting Early Winners of Biggest Position Battles at 2023 NFL OTAs
We're moving through the spring and toward the summer, and in the NFL, that means shorts and shells, baby.
It's time for organized team activities—and no, that doesn't mean everyone goes out for pizza.
Well, usually it doesn't.
Quite a few veteran players will take a pass on OTAs—at least until mandatory minicamps in June. And there won't be a lot of physicality in these workouts—the pads won't go on until later in the summer.
But that doesn't mean OTAs don't have value. For rookies and newcomers alike, this is an opportunity to gain valuable practice reps. To learn a new system. Master the playbook.
And perhaps even stake an early claim to a prominent role in 2023.
Now, many of these camp battles won't be decided until well into training camp and the preseason. But getting an early leg up on the competition certainly can't hurt.
And neither can making an early prediction as to who will eventually come out on top of these competitions.
Commanders QB: Sam Howell vs. Jacoby Brissett
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Make no mistake, the Washington Commanders want Sam Howell to be the team's starting quarterback when they face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. Washington has been talking up the second-year pro ever since he started last season's finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
Per ESPN's John Keim, head coach Ron Rivera said that even before that start it was evident that the Commanders had something in the former North Carolina standout.
"The first thing you'd hear from the defensive guys was, 'I was trying to make that play, I just couldn't get to the ball,'" Rivera said. "The old saying is that players know players. As you listen to them talk about it, [receivers would say], 'His ball was so catchable; he threw that to the only spot [open]."
The Commanders eschewed taking a quarterback in the 2023 draft, but this could still become a battle that's a little too close for Rivera's comfort—because while the Commanders passed on a rookie quarterback, they added a highly capable and experienced backup in Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett made 11 starts for the Cleveland Browns last year, completing 64 percent of his passes and throwing twice as many touchdowns as interceptions. If Howell falters and starts making poor decisions with the ball on the practice field, Brissett will quickly be nipping at his heels.
But it's become evident that the Commanders want Howell to be the guy. So, unless he's a complete flop, this "battle" isn't taking place on a level playing field.
Winner: Sam Howell
Buccaneers QB: Baker Mayfield vs. Kyle Trask
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This is a battle that no one will really "win." Whether it's veteran Baker Mayfield or youngster Kyle Trask, being tasked with replacing the greatest quarterback to ever play the game is a rather tall task.
Trask is a completely unproven commodity—in two seasons since being drafted in the second round out of Florida, he has attempted all of nine passes. Mayfield, on the other hand, has much more experience—the first overall pick in the 2018 draft has started 69 games for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams.
However, while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles indicated that Mayfield's experience doesn't guarantee him anything.
"We don't have a starter right now," Bowles said. "We know Baker has played in games and Trask has not, but we've watched Trask over the years and we like some of the things he does, and we're going to give him the chance to play and compete and see who comes out. We told Baker this coming in—it's not anything new that he doesn't know."
To be fair, Mayfield didn't play especially well in Carolina and Los Angeles last year, posting a career-low QBR of just 24.5. But Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020, and he's just a much more proven commodity than Trask.
Mayfield may not start every game for Tampa in 2023. But he'll start the opener.
Winner: Baker Mayfield
Panthers QB: Andy Dalton vs. Bryce Young
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OK. Just one more quarterback battle. Promise.
The Carolina Panthers mortgaged the franchise's future this year in the hopes of finally landing a franchise quarterback, trading up to No. 1 overall to select Alabama's Bryce Young.
However, per Joe Person of The Athletic, new Panthers head coach Frank Reich said that when OTAs get underway, it will be veteran Andy Dalton who functions as the team's "starter" under center.
"When he's ready, when it's best for the team, that's when we'll look to make the transition," Reich said. "But when we come back out Monday, Andy will be taking reps with the ones. Bryce will be with the twos. But Bryce is gonna get a lot of reps. He'll likely even get a few more than Andy just as the new guy."
Just stop, Frank. Come on now.
Is Dalton an experienced quarterback? Sure. He has 162 NFL starts under his belt, including 14 last year with the New Orleans Saints. He's also Andy Dalton. At this point in his career, he's mediocre on a good day.
The Panthers thought enough of Young to take him first overall after trading a package of picks and wide receiver DJ Moore to Chicago. Young was arguably the most pro-ready quarterback in the class. He's not going to get any better watching Dalton be average at best.
Just get the kid out there with the first team and let him learn by doing.
Winner: Bryce Young
Texans RB: Dameon Pierce vs. Devin Singletary
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Not much went right for the Houston Texans in 2022. But the play of rookie Dameon Pierce was a bright spot—the youngster topped 900 rushing yards and averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry. His 72.2 rushing yards per game was tops among all rookie backs.
Now, however, Pierce has company in the Houston backfield in the form of Devin Singletary, who spent his first four seasons in Buffalo. While speaking to reporters, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said he's looking forward to what Pierce and Singletary can do together in the Houston backfield.
"Yeah, excited to have both those guys," Ryans said. "Dameon has shown a lot from his rookie season. He's shown that he's a really good player and being able to add Devin there with him to have sort of that one-two punch to have those guys balance each other out, I think it'll be really a great addition for us. Excited for what Devin can bring. He's hungry to show that he can do more, so excited to have him in Houston."
To be clear, both backs are going to see work—more and more NFL backfields are committee attacks. But Singletary had more total yards last year than Pierce. He averaged more yards per carry than Pierce. Singletary is a superior receiver to Pierce. And Singletary is one of the better pass-protecting backs in the NFL.
Singletary has surpassed 1,000 total yards each of the past two seasons, He's a better back than he's given credit for.
And he's going to lead the Houston backfield in touches in 2023.
Winner: Devin Singletary
Bears RB: Khalil Herbert vs. D'Onta Foreman
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Well, while we're on the subject of cloudy backfields for bad teams.
When David Montgomery bolted Chicago for Detroit, it appeared to open the door for Khalil Herbert to finally get the opportunity to be the Bears' lead back. But then the team signed D'Onta Foreman and muddied things right back up.
To this point, Foreman is likely best known for stepping up when players such as Derrick Henry in Tennessee and Christian McCaffrey in Carolina either got hurt or were traded. Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Foreman said he's shown he can be top dog in a backfield, and he went to Chicago with the intention of being just that.
"When I knew I had the opportunity to be the guy, I tried to do it to the best of my ability," Foreman said. "I opened some eyes to show what I bring to the table. I want to build on that and continue to grow. "I came here to try to be the guy. If I didn't come here with that mentality I'd be doing myself a disservice and doing the team a disservice."
Frankly, this is as close to an even battle as you're going to find in this piece. Herbert has the advantage of experience in the offense, but he's never had 130 carries in a season and missed four games last season.
Foreman topped 200 carries last year and showed he can handle a featured back's workload.
This year in Chicago, he's going to get that opportunity to be the lead runner in Chicago's new-look backfield.
Winner: D'Onta Foreman
Vikings CB: Andrew Booth Jr. vs. Akayleb Evans vs. Mekhi Blackmon
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From here out, it's all position battles at areas of need for playoff contenders.
And there may not be a contender with a bigger need in the NFL than the Minnesota Vikings at cornerback after a season in which the team was dead last in the NFC in pass defense.
The Vikings signed Byron Murphy in the offseason to occupy one starting spot—probably in the slot. That puts substantial pressure on second-year pros Andrew Booth and Akayleb Evans to take a big step forward in 2023.
Per Craig Peters of the team's website, Booth said his biggest goal in 2023 is just to stay healthy after an injury-marred rookie year.
"Learning how to become a pro was what my rookie year was about," Booth said. "I dealt with a lot of injuries, just learning how to be a pro and take care of your body. Your body is what's going to get you through this, and that's what's going to provide my longevity."
For Evans, he said it's a matter of playing within himself.
"First, I think it's about my mindset," Evans said. "Not every single tackle has to be as hard as I can, right? So being smart about that, but whenever I do go in to make a tackle, just being smart about keeping my head out of it and being intentional."
Both youngsters had uneven first seasons, and the Vikings used the 102nd overall pick on USC's Mekhi Blackmon.
But the Vikings don't just want Booth and Evans to take a step forward and become quality starters in 2023.
Minnesota needs them to.
Winners: Andrew Booth Jr., Akayleb Evans
Packers WR: Samori Toure vs. Jayden Reed
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The Green Bay Packers are entering a new era with Jordan Love at quarterback. And the Packers haven't exactly put Love in the best position to succeed where his receivers are concerned. Christian Watson has shown flashes of star potential, but behind him isn't much.
Romeo Doubs demonstrated some potential last year when healthy—enough that he's likely fairly firmly entrenched as the No. 2 receiver. But the Packers badly need another young wideout to step into the No. 3 role.
Enter second-round rookie Jayden Reed.
A 5'11", 187-pounder out of Michigan State, Reed is undersized, but Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen talked up his wheels and ball skills while comparing him to Sterling Shepard.
"Reed's requisite speed and high-level ball skills are enough to make him an early contributor," he said. "He will be a reliable target who can take on a variety of route responsibilities, though mostly from the slot. Size and play strength will hold him back to a degree, but there's enough in the rest of his skill set to overcome that and be a useful player."
That comp isn't going to get Reed handed a starting spot, and the Packers have another young receiver in Samori Toure who impressed as a seventh-round pick last year.
But the Packers need talent to win out, and while this competition could drag well into camp, Reed will eventually emerge as Green Bay's Week 1 slot receiver.
Winner: Jayden Reed
Chiefs WR: Rashee Rice vs. Marquez Valdes-Scantling
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For the second straight season, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their No. 1 wide receiver. And for the second straight year, the Chiefs looked to the second round of the NFL draft to try to offset that loss.
Now, it would have been ludicrous to expect Skyy Moore to "replace" Tyreek Hill last year. But as Nate Taylor wrote for The Athletic, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is hopeful that Rashee Rice's versatility and ability to gain yards after the catch can help offset the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster.
"He was a guy that the contested catch and the run-after-the-catch (skill) was something that really stood out," Veach said. "We did lose JuJu. It makes sense to find a guy that can do a lot of things that he can do on the inside game. He's almost like a running back after the catch."
The Chiefs saw something they liked in the 6'1", 204-pound Rice, trading up to select him with the 55th pick. Now, Rice joins one of the more unsettled depth charts in the league.
Provided that Kadarius Toney can stay healthy, he would appear penciled into one of the boundary spots in Kansas City. Given his familiarity with the offense, Moore would appear to have a leg up on Richie James for the slot role.
That leaves Rice and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to battle for the other outside spot. And while Valdes-Scantling has shown the occasional flash over five years in Green Bay and Kansas City, he hasn't been a consistent contributor.
Much will depend on how quickly Rice can pick up the offense, but he impressed at rookie minicamp. If he can continue that progress into OTAs, Rice could not only play a sizable role as a rookie but also become one of the most impactful first-year wideouts in the league this season.
Winner: Rashee Rice
Chiefs LB: Willie Gay vs. Drue Tranquill
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It was a little surprising when the Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Drue Tranquill in free agency. Nick Bolton has become one of the better young off-ball linebackers in the league. Willie Gay isn't the same caliber of player, but he's a capable pro who amassed 88 total tackles in 2022.
However, while speaking to reporters, Bolton said he was glad to see Tranquill join the team.
"When you turn on the tape, man, you can see how intelligent Drue Tranquill is, how much he will help us in terms of adding more ability to pass coverage, blitzing, runs—he does it all, man," Bolton said. "And so again, a veteran guy—a veteran for us, we got a lot of young guys in the room. So having that guy that has the experience to kind of bounce off ideas with, he's seen a lot of football."
Head coach Andy Reid echoed those sentiments.
"We've had to face him a couple of times every year," Reid explained. "What we felt was this guy is a heck of a football player. He'll add great flexibility to (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags' group, which you know how Spags does it with different personnel groups, and there's plenty of room for all of them (linebackers).
"And listen, he's a good football player. He's a smart kid, he's got great size, he's got good strength, he can cover. In other words, run and cover. So, we just had an opportunity to get him and I sure like the way he plays."
Gay's a good player and a quality run-stuffer, but he doesn't have Tranquill's range or coverage ability. Gay will still be a factor on defense, but it's Tranquill who will be the team's second nickel linebacker.
Winner: Drue Tranquill
Bengals S: Nick Cross vs. Jordan Battle
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NFL teams (especially successful ones) face a constant balancing act. Sometimes maintaining success can be harder than achieving it, as teams attempt to keep the band together. But sometimes, tough decisions have to be made. The Cincinnati Bengals faced a pair of them in 2023, with both starting safeties departing in free agency.
The Bengals seemingly already had a plan in place to replace Jessie Bates III when they drafted safety Daxton Hill in the first round in 2022. They signed free agent Nick Scott as a low-cost replacement for Vonn Bell at box safety. But then Cincinnati also used a third-round pick on Alabama safety Jordan Battle.
Battle was a three-year starter under Nick Saban at Tuscaloosa, and he told reporters that playing in Alabama's scheme should only help his transition to the NFL.
"Obviously if you're under Coach (Nick) Saban, you know it's a complex defense," Battle said. "So probably just me coming from Bama and playing early, playing as a freshman. And knowing that playbook and learning it early is probably the reason they have that in mind."
Scott has experience of his own—he made 16 starts for the Los Angeles Rams last year, recording 86 total tackles. But Scott is also a middling talent who had a passer rating against of 118.5 last year.
Battle might not be an elite talent, but he's a smart, physical safety with good instincts. OTAs will be his first opportunity to demonstrate that he's a superior talent to Scott.
By September, he'll have shown it enough to start.
Winner: Jordan Battle
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