Dallas Cowboys: 5 Training Camp Battles Worth Looking Forward To

Now that the NFL draft and free agency are behind us, it's time for the Dallas Cowboys to start looking ahead to shaping and constructing the 53-man roster, ranking the depth chart and, most importantly, closely monitoring the position battles that will unfold this summer.

Jason Garrett is a firm believer in creating competition throughout the roster, and I believe for the Cowboys that will help them make better decisions as a football team. After finishing the 2011 season in disappointing fashion, Jerry Jones and the entire organization have worked diligently to improve this team in the offseason in the hopes of getting back to winning ways. 

As the Cowboys head deeper into the offseason, OTAs and eventually training camp, it will be interesting to see which players step up and embrace the competition and which players aren't quite up for the challenge.

With all the offseason moves now in place, it's time for the Cowboys to make some noise in the NFC East. The climb towards football supremacy doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it starts one day at a time and one battle at a time.  Let's take a look at some of the more interesting ones for 2012.

Bruce Carter vs. Dan Connor

Carter, the former second-round pick, will be counted on to produce at the inside linebacker position after a rookie season of limitations due to his knee injury. Can he be trusted ?

Maybe not. The Cowboys didn't take any chances, and as a result, they signed Dan Connor in free agency from the Carolina Panthers.

This will be an interesting battle because I just don't see Carter being handed the job out of respect for his draft status. Carter has all the physical tools you can hope for in a linebacker, but he has to prove he can understand, execute and be instinctive in Rob Ryan's scheme.

Connor is quite familiar with Sean Lee as they are both former Penn Staters. Connor plays the game similar to Lee, and that could make for an interesting combination as the Cowboys look to rebound in 2012. He's not quite the athlete Carter is, and he's limited in coverage, but he makes up for it with instincts and solid tackling ability.

My gut tells me Carter will be given every opportunity to earn the job, but he will definitely feel Connor's presence.

The Third Wide Receiver Role

This may prove to be the most exciting and dramatic of all the position battles this summer. After losing Laurent Robinson in free agency, the third receiver spot has become a topic of conversation in Cowboy nation.

Kevin Ogletree was resigned in free agency, and the Cowboys have some in-house candidates such as Raymond Radway, Dwayne Harris and Andre Holmes.

The Cowboys also drafted Danny Coale in the fifth round of the draft, and he is now looking like the fan favorite of all the candidates. He brings a wealth of versatility to the table that is hard to ignore. With Dez Bryant and Miles Austin entrenched as the starters, the third receiver spot is there for the taking.

The ideal situation for the Cowboys would have been to bring back Robinson, but the cost was simply too steep. The Cowboys have a nice mix of receivers who, including undrafted free agents, will compete for three to four spots. However, the crucial position will be that third receiver spot.

I feel that the player with the most versatility and degree of dependability will ultimately win the spot. It will also come down to other factors like chemistry with Tony Romo, understanding the offense and play-making ability. This offense has to be able to develop another weapon to take pressure off the incumbents.

My bet is on Coale. I believe he is a "Jason Garrett" type of player, and his sound fundamentals and crisp route running will prevail in what will be an epic battle.

Interior Offensive Line

The Cowboys knew coming into the 2012 offseason that revamping their offensive line was a must. Most people felt that the Cowboys would pay big money to land Carl Nicks, but they ultimately wound up signing Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings.

It was also the consensus that David DeCastro would be drafted, but we all know how that worked out. The Cowboys also released Kyle Kosier, so that puts them in a position to really open up the competition throughout the interior line.

Bill Nagy, David Arkin, Kevin Kowalski, Levy Adcock and Ronald Leary are also players that will be part of the battle, and with the addition of Bill Callahan as offensive line coach, I'm sure he will be looking for every little imperfecion.

The Cowboys have to do a better job of protecting Tony Romo, and this intense position battle will have major implications not only on their offense but on their season.

The way I see this unfolding is with Bernadeau and Livings winning the two guard spots. They are paid starters' money, and barring any injury concerns, it will be their job to lose.

Phil Costa could see competition at the center position, and Kevin Kowalski could be that person. The Cowboys failed to draft a replacement, such as Phil Blake, so it now appears that they are willing to give him another chance to improve on his 2011 performance.

John Phillips vs. James Hanna

I think the Cowboys' selection of James Hanna has a little more to do with filling the third tight end role. While he isn't quite the blocker John Phillips is, Hanna is very athletic and fast and could give the Cowboys an added element to this offense.

Hanna could really challenge Phillips for the second tight end position if he can prove he's capable of making plays in the passing game. He has some of that new wave tight end quality to his game that's becoming more prominent in NFL offenses.

Jason Witten is a constant target of double teams and bracket coverages, so any pressure off of him would be a welcome addition to this offense.

For John Phillips, this is an important year. He showed flashes of becoming an important player before he tore his ACL a few years ago, but the Cowboys got very little production from him last season as they continued to try and integrate Martellus Bennett into the game plan.

With Bennett now gone and Hanna in the mix, this could make for an under-the-radar battle worth paying attention to.

Kyle Wilber vs. Victor Butler and Anthony Spencer

When the Cowboys decided to bring back Anthony Spencer on the franchise tag, it at least bought them one more year to see if he can become a dominant player. The Cowboys, as I see it, had little choice in the move as their only depth at the time was Victor Butler.

The Cowboys selected Kyle Wilber in the fourth round of this year's draft, and he has impressed at rookie mini-camp. While some will see this as irrelevant, keep in mind that the Cowboys had him targeted entering the fourth round.

I see this as a golden opportunity for a player like Wilber. If he can get to the quarterback, then he could not only surpass Victor Butler, but he could also be auditioning to be Spencer's replacement.

I know Spencer is stout against the run and he does things that don't always show up in the stats, but if he wants a long-term contract, then his production has to prove worthy of it.

Watching Spencer's progress will be an interesting one because the Cowboys made such an effort to improve their pass rush. Will he be part of the solution or a continuation of that problem?

If Kyle Wilber can assert himself in a pass-rushing role, then it will be hard to keep him off the field.