Oakland Raiders: 8 Most Exciting Position Battles to Keep an Eye on This Summer

Dennis Allen and Reggie McKenzie spent the winter locked in a cold, dark film room analyzing college draft prospects, free agents and the Raiders roster. Spring is draft season, and new life will be added to the roster to compete with the veterans.

Before anyone realizes it, the summer will be here and the fight for starting jobs will be hotter than the central valley heat in July.

The work Allen and McKenzie put in during the winter and spring will determine what happens this summer. Will a position of weakness be one of strength by June? Did the Raiders make the right moves to set the team up for success in 2012 and beyond?

It's not always a team's strengths that determines success. Weaknesses can be just as vital. Those weaknesses are often where we find position battles; two or more players trying to make a name for themselves in the NFL.

What positions could see a battle in 2012, and what players are fighting for a spot?

Backup Quarterback

No one is questioning the starter at quarterback. Behind Carson Palmer on the depth chart are two youngsters in Terrelle Pryor and Rhett Bomar.

The assumption here is that the Raiders will eventually bring in a veteran backup like Matt Leinart, Billy Volek or Dennis Dixon. 

No one knows what the new coaching staff thinks about Pryor and if he can develop into the primary backup. Bomar is believed to be a camp arm, but he's got some talent.

If the Raiders sign one of the veteran backups mentioned, it will be easy to assume they would be the primary backup. If the Raiders sign anyone else, it wouldn't rule out a position battle.

McKenzie seems unconcerned about the backup quarterback position, leaving the fans to wonder if he would roll the dice with the primary backups being Pryor and Bomar.

Don't rule out the possibility of the Raiders drafting a quarterback, either. When a new regime takes over, the biggest change is usually at quarterback. When the team can't get their guy, they might look for a guy they can develop.

The battle hinges on Pryor. If the new regime likes Pryor and think he is close, they might not sign a veteran. If they don't like him or think he has a lot of development to do, they will sign a veteran.

The backup is everyone's favorite player until he has to start, and it might be a wise decision to shield a raw Pryor from that criticism and throw a guy like Leinart out there for the fans to pick on.

How I see it: Oakland will bring in a veteran, but don't be surprised if Pryor is active on game day and used in special packages. 

Right Tackle

The Raiders re-signed Khalif Barnes to play right tackle. Barnes will compete with sophomore guard/tackle Joseph Barksdale.

Barnes has been a whipping boy for Raider Nation, and for good reason—he was the lowest graded offensive player for the Raiders last season by ProFootballFocus.com. 

To make matters worse, Barnes was second only to Stanford Routt in penalties with 11. Barnes also allowed nine quarterback hits, second worst of all the right tackles. 

However, Barnes allowed only 24 quarterback pressures, good for 11th among right tackles, and two sacks, second to Bryan Bulaga.

It is run blocking that seems to be the issue for Barnes. ProFootballFocus had Barnes graded as one of the worst run blockers in the league. 

With the return of the zone-blocking scheme to Oakland, it would stand to reason that Barnes' issues with run-blocking would be a non-issue. Barnes will no longer be blocking man-to-man, and that should benefit him. 

Barksdale will need to impress, because he played in only 159 snaps last season and didn't do anything to make the Raiders feel comfortable moving on without Barnes.

How I see it: Barnes wins this job, but Barksdale does enough to be the primary reserve tackle and guard. 

Gunner

Rock Cartwright crossed the bridge and signed in San Francisco, leaving the Raiders' special teams in need of a gunner.

McKenzie signed cornerback Pat Lee to bolster the secondary and help on special teams. Lee was a gunner for the Packers. 

Other candidates who may get an opportunity would be Mike Mitchell, Brandon Myers, Taiwan Jones, Bryan McCann or Chimdi Chekwa.

It's probably Lee's job to lose, but special teams players are rarely a lock, leaving the possibility open for another player to steal the job. 

Slot Cornerback

Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson were released, and Shawntae Spencer and Ron Bartell signed to start at cornerback. With the outside cornerback positions taken care of, that leaves the slot cornerback role open for competition.

The Raiders were forced at times to use Michael Huff as a slot cornerback last season, and the results were inconsistent. 

This season, the very important position will be filled by Chimdi Chekwa, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Pat Lee or a draft pick.

Lee has three years of NFL experience having lost all 2009 to injury. Chekwa and Van Dyke showed promise in limited action last season as rookies, but were unable to stay healthy.

The pass defense was terrible last year, and the slot cornerback is becoming more and more important as the league shifts to the passing game. Dennis Allen seems genuinely excited to work with Chekwa and Van Dyke, and one of them needs to rise to the challenge.

How I see it: Chekwa wins the job, but Van Dyke stays in the mix. Lee is used on special teams.

Kick Returner

There is no denying the electric nature of Jacoby Ford on kickoff returns, but the Raiders need to think about the possibility of the returns wearing him down.

The Raiders are not without other options.

Bryan McCann did a great job filling in for Ford in 2011, averaging 27.8 yards per return with a long of 91 yards. 

Mike Goodson was acquired from the Carolina Panthers, and has kick-return experience. Goodson has a career kickoff average of 21.7 yards per return. The only issue is he lacks a second gear and doesn't have many long returns.

The Raiders may not want to risk putting their franchise player on the return team, but Tyvon Branch was a kick returner in college at UCONN and had a 70-yard return called back due to a helmet-to-helmet block last season.

Denarius Moore can also return kicks, and will be the Raiders' primary punt returner. Like Ford, the Raiders might consider saving his body.

How I see it: Ford is still going to be the guy, but don't be surprised if McCann makes the roster and takes the bulk of the returns. The Raiders might use Ford as a decoy and have him be the primary guy when the situation calls for a little extra speed. 

Nickel-Rusher

The Raiders released Kamerion Wimbley in March, leaving the defense without a nickel pass-rusher. In passing situations, Wimbley would be the Raiders' primary pass-rusher, doing so 477 times in 2011. 

In addition to Wimbley, the Raiders did not re-sign Jarvis Moss or Trevor Scott.

With Wimbley gone, Houston will have to stay on the field more as a pass-rusher. His zero sacks in 2011 isn't representative of his capability, and Matt Miller ranked him 11th on his list of top defensive ends.

Matt Shaughnessy will return, leaving Desmond Bryant as the jack-of-all-trades, but the Raiders don't have an agile speed-rusher on the team.

Dennis Allen will have to get creative to make up for not having an elite pass-rusher on the outside. Safety and corner blitzing might not be uncommon, and the linebackers will have to rush more than they have in the past.

Given the lack of depth, McKenzie should find a pass-rush specialist in the draft who plays either defensive end or linebacker or both. 

Tight End

The Raiders lost Zach Miller to Seattle last year and signed Kevin Boss. Less than a year later, Boss was released by new general manager Reggie McKenzie.

Only Brandon Myers, David Ausberry and Richard Gordon remain on the roster at tight end.

It's conceivable the Raiders would bring in a tight end, but they have three perfectly complementary tight ends on the roster.

Richard Gordon is a blocking tight end, Myers is well-rounded and Ausberry is the receiving tight end. All the bases are covered. 

Palmer has plenty of weapons and hardly used the tight ends last season. If the Raiders add a player, expect it to be a veteran free agent and not a draft selection. 

Middle Linebacker

It's Rolando McClain's spot to lose, that's for sure. The coaches want to see what they can do with McClain, but Travis Goethel may have been a better fit in the middle last season prior to his second injury in two years. 

If Goethel stays healthy and plays well during camps, those whispers could get even louder. Don't be surprised if the coaching staff starts to favor Goethel at some point.

The good news here is the Raiders can probably figure out how to get Goethel and McClain on the field together.

It's a make-or-break season for McClain, and best case for the Raiders is if Goethel pushes McClain.

Coaches love to talk about competition, and it shouldn't be assumed the starting job will be handed to McClain. McClain will have to earn the job, and a healthy Goethel might give McClain a run for his money.