The 7 Most Riveting Preseason Position Battles in NFL History

When you think of the NFL and the level of competition it encompasses, It's fun to reflect on some of the more interesting battles throughout time.

A closer look at some of those battles tips the scale in favor to the quarterback position. What's not to like about a position battle that centers around arguably the most high-profile and visible position in all of sports?

Not only have some of these battles started in the preseason, but they lingered into the regular season, and some actually started on draft day. 

Let's take a closer look at some of the more riveting battles of our time.

Troy Aikman/Steve Walsh

For a brief moment in time, there were people who actually thought Steve Walsh was the quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys.

Granted, Troy Aikman had a miserable rookie year and Walsh led them to their only victory, but the debate was heavy. Three Super Bowl victories later, I would say the Cowboys made the right choice.

Drew Brees/Phillip Rivers

This debate could've possibly been Eli Manning vs. Drew Brees. This battle started the minute Rivers was drafted and continued for a few seasons until Drew Brees bolted for New Orleans and went on to win a Super Bowl, while Rivers is still looking for his shot at glory.

Bo Jackson/Marcus Allen/Roger Craig

It's not always about the quarterbacks, and the battle between Jackson and Allen also included owner Al Davis.

With Allen entrenched as the starter, Al Davis signed Bo Jackson and a year later Roger Craig. With Jackson only a part-time player and Craig taking on more of a role, it damaged Allen's relationship with the team and ultimately buried him on the bench.

Jackson would sustain a career-ending injury, and Allen eventually moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jeff Hostetler/Phil Simms

Growing up on the east coast, I was well aware of this particular battle. In the summer of 1991 and coming off a Super Bowl victory against the Buffalo Bills in which he performed brilliantly, Hostetler and Simms battled it out for the starting job, with Hostetler emerging victorious.

Prior to his success, Hostetler had been a backup to both Simms and Jeff Rutledge, but it was Hostetler's mobility that ultimately set him apart whenever he played in mop-up duty or had to perform due to injury.

Joe Montana/Steve Young

Some will view this more of a controversy than a competition, but after serving as Montana's backup for multiple seasons and taking a winding road to the Bay area, Young's fortunes turned around during the 1991 season. 

After taking over for an injured Montana in 1991 and falling short in the playoffs, the natural thought would be to trade Young while a healthy Montana arrived back. The trade never happened, and Young was in a battle with Montana and Steve Bono.

With Montana not fully healthy, Young won the job, had an up-and-down year and the 49ers eventually lost to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game.

Danny White/Gary Hogeboom

Cowboy fans are quite familiar with this battle that took place in the preseason of 1984. After leading the Cowboys to multiple NFC Championship games and falling short, Tom Landry gave Hogeboom every opportunity to win the job in the preseason, and he became the starter.

Cowboys fans lobbied for Hogeboom, and after some success that season, he eventually landed back on the bench with Danny White back in the fold. Unfortunately, White was never able to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl.

Rob Johnson/Doug Flutie

After landing Johnson in a trade during the '98 season and being handed the job over Flutie, the following season began the battle that also centered around former Cowboys coach Wade Phillips.

Entering the '99 preseason, Phillips anointed Johnson and Flute as "co-starters," but Flutie eventually won the job. Here's where this is not only riveting but very bizarre.

After leading the Bills to a 10-5 record, Phillips elects to rest Flutie the last week of the season. Johnson responded with an epic performance and was chosen to start the playoff game against the Titans.

Buffalo would go on to lose in what is known as the "Music City Mircle."

The spirit of competition and the drive to win does bring out some of the more interesting and riveting scenarios in football. Although you can go back and pinpoint even more epic position battles that most fans probably weren't aware of, the most excitement does center around the quarterback position.

The mix of past and more present battles should remind us of just how exciting some of these really are.