Kansas City Chiefs: Top 6 Position Battles to Watch in Training Camp

With just over two months until the start of training camp, it's time to start previewing some of the biggest position battles for each team.

Just like any other year, the Kansas City Chiefs should once again see many intense position battles at training camp this year.

Here are the top six battles that Chiefs nation should be watching this summer.

No. 2 Quarterback

With Matt Cassel already in the driver's seat for the starting quarterback job, it looks like an ex-Iowa Hawkeye and an former first-round pick will be battling it out for the Chiefs' No. 2 quarterback this season.

Stanzi possesses much more upside than Quinn, but he doesn't have the NFL experience that Quinn has under his belt.

Many question why Quinn was signed in the first place, considering that Stanzi should be the backup and is already being labeled by some as the QBOTF for this franchise.

In order for him to take over Cassel's job in the future, the Ohio native will need to prove that he can at least beat out Brady Quinn in training camp to become the backup signal-caller for K.C. in 2012.

Starting Inside Linebacker

This will be one of the most interesting position battles that the Chiefs will have at training camp this year.

24-year-old Jovan Belcher has started at inside linebacker for the last three years on this defense, and he showed signs of improvement last year.

Brandon Siler is coming off of a season-ending injury and is hungry to get back on the field and challenge Belcher for his starting role this year.

I expect Siler to push Belcher very hard in training camp this year, as this one could go down to the wire.

Also, don't forget about UDFA Dexter Heyman, as he could be in the mix as well.

Nickel Cornerback

For the last two seasons, Javier Arenas has held down the fort as K.C.'s nickel corner on defense.

However, this year could be a different story.

With the arrival of his former teammate DeQuan Menzie and second-year man Jalil Brown now having the benefit of a full offseason, Arenas could be in for a dog fight in camp to earn his starting spot back this year.

If none of these players stand out in the end, it's also possible that all three could share this role for Kansas City's defense this season.

Starting Defensive Tackle

The Chiefs stunned the rest of the league and their fans when they selected Memphis NT Dontari Poe in the first round of this year's draft.

The team is determined to shore up a position of need that has been a weakness on this defense for far too long.

However, Poe still needs to prove that he can play defensive tackle in the NFL.

Second-year man Jerrell Powe and journeyman Amon Gordon will also challenge for this spot, as all eyes will be on the former Memphis star at camp this summer.

Starting Tight End

The Chiefs made some news when they signed free agent TE Kevin Boss earlier this offseason, considering that they already have Tony Moeaki on their roster.

Although the Boss addition will add more depth at tight end for this team, he could also start for K.C. as well.

With Moeaki's past injury issues and the fact that he is coming off of a season-ending ACL injury, he could face an uphill battle to win this starting gig out of camp this year.

Like many of these position battles, this could really go either way, as both players are capable of starting for many teams in this league.

No. 2 Wide Receiver

Last year, K.C. decided to use its first-round pick on talented wideout Jonathan Baldwin, hoping that he could one day become a go-to receiving threat for this offense.

After a lockout-shortened offseason and an immediate injury that caused him to miss five games, it's safe to say that the former University of Pittsburgh wideout didn't live up to the hype in his rookie season.

With veteran Steve Breaston getting many of the starts opposite Dwayne Bowe last year, look for him to be in the thick of things again this year

Considering how talented he is, Baldwin will have every opportunity to become the No. 2 receiver on this team in training camp this year, as long as he can stay focused and keep his cool.