11 Biggest Spots Up for Grabs This Year in NFL Training Camps

John Skelton and Kevin Kolb will battle one another for the starting quarterback spot that's up for grabs with the Arizona Cardinals. 

The Cardinals aren't the only team that's ripe for some major training-camp battles, though, as there are a ton of high-profile question marks throughout the league.

Who will start at quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks? 

Which player will earn the right to be the starting running back behind Tom Brady and the high-powered New England Patriots offense?

I'll take a look at these questions and more, and give you my predictions for which players will rise to the challenge. 

Right Defensive End, Buffalo Bills

Mark Anderson was brought over to the Buffalo Bills via free agency to upgrade their pass-rush. They paid him a handsome sum to do it, too. 

Head coach Chan Gailey is hoping he can prove worthy of the starting right end spot on their defensive front, where he'd play opposite newly-acquired sackmaster, Mario Williams. 

Per the Boston Globe:

"

Today, he’s competing to play every snap. That’s the way we watched him and looked at him. You don’t pay that kind of money to specialty players. You pay that kind of money to a guy that you think can be out there 50, 60 plays. In our mind, it wasn’t situational.

"

That's all well and good, but Chris Kelsay isn't going to just capitulate and let Anderson take his spot. 

Kelsay isn't as flashy as Anderson in the pass-rushing department, but he's a stout run-defender who knows his role and almost always plays in position. Anderson hasn't proven he can be an every-down defender yet, and I'm not convinced he'll beat Kelsay out this summer.

This is a battle that will boil down to whether Anderson can prove stout enough in the running game and show enough endurance to play the entire game. If he proves to be capable in both areas, he's the starter. If not...

Prediction: Anderson will earn the spot. 

Strong Safety, Green Bay Packers

Is this finally the year that Charles Woodson makes the long-heralded move to safety from his cornerback spot?

The Packers parted ways with Nick Collins after he suffered a devastating neck injury that required surgery in 2011. 

That leaves his strong safety position up for grabs this summer.

At this point, last year's starter, Charlie Peprah, has to be considered the front-runner based on his experience. He is a solid player, but he's not going to make a ton of impact plays for the Packers, either. He is a serviceable player, but that's it. 

Another player who could take the spot is second-year man, M.D. Jennings. According to PackersNews.com, defensive coordinator Dom Capers recently said this about Jennings:  

"

I think (Jennings) has made real progress from the first year. He’s bigger and stronger...We’re going to have outstanding competition at most of the positions on defense...(Jennings) comes to work every day and he’s all business. I think he’s a lot better football player now than he was at any time last year.

"

Woodson could also move to play the position, as I already mentioned, and as ESPN.com has already alluded to this offseason.

Prediction: Dark-horse Jennings will earn the spot.

Tight End, Denver Broncos

I could find no definitive statements online about this battle, so everything you read from here on out regarding the Denver Broncos tight end situation is purely conjecture on my part.

Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen were both brought in to give Peyton Manning a pass-catching threat from the tight end position. Both men are capable receivers, and both will be used often—likely at the same time in many circumstances.

According to MaxBroncos.com:

"

Mike McCoy says TEs will be 1st/2nd reads in progression at times this yr RT @Jezru: Give us something. Nothing heals like good Broncos news

— MaxBroncos (@MaxBroncos) May 13, 2012"

Only one can be considered the No. 1 tight end, though, and the battle to see who wins that spot will be fierce this summer in Colorado. 

Prediction: Jacob Tamme will win the No. 1 spot.

No. 2 Cornerback, Baltimore Ravens

Lardarius Webb is the unquestioned No. 1 cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. 

The No. 2 spot, though, is up for grabs this summer, and the battle will be between Jimmy Smith and Cary Williams to earn that coveted role, according to the Carroll County Times.

WIlliams is the incumbent starter, though he's coming off a torn labrum last year that limited his ability to compete this spring. 

Smith—the former first-round draft pick—has been raising eyebrows at minicamp. 

Head coach John Harbaugh is apparently one of Smith's biggest fans, per the Carroll County Times report: 

"

I expect greatness from Jimmy Smith. He expects that from himself. Jimmy has worked really, really hard. Again, it’s another guy that is showing off in the way he is playing. He is becoming a technician out there in this offseason. He’s got all the tools, very humble, hardworking guy. The sky is the limit for Jimmy.

"

That's high praise, but the true test will come this summer when the heat gets turned up in training camp. 

Prediction: Smith will earn the spot.

 

No. 2 Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts

Reggie Wayne is the clear No. 1 wide receiver for Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. What isn't yet known is which player will be starting opposite Wayne in the starting lineup.

Austin Collie is one of the guys who will be working to earn this spot. He's a reliable receiver with excellent hands and decent speed, but he's not going to run past many defenders one-on-one. 

Newly-acquired Donnie Avery, on the other hand, is a speedster who could become an explosive weapon for Luck, and if you believe general manager Ryan Grigson, speed is the name of the game. 

According to IndyStar.com, Grigson recently said:

"

Speed is an extreme priority. You either have it or you don't and the guys that don't usually wash out unless they do something exceptionally well, and if they do something exceptionally well, they're usually just in a role to where you want to fill that role with speed.

"

Avery has proven to be a big-time weapon in the past with the St. Louis Rams, when he caught 100 passes and eight touchdowns in his two years with the club.

Prediction: Avery wins the job based on his ability to make game-changing plays.

Middle Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have a real battle brewing this summer over which player will earn the right to play alongside Sean Lee in the middle of their defense.

In the red corner, we have Bruce Carter. In the blue corner, we have Dan Connor. 

Carter is raw ability and athleticism, while Connor is the more experienced of the two. Carter hasn't proven he can play at the NFL level, while Connor has shown the ability to play at a high level, with the promise of more to come. 

Team executive vice president Steven Jones says the race is "neck-and-neck," according to the Star-Telegram. He's high on Carter, though, saying:

"

Bruce is going to be a mainstay for us, regardless of whether he starts or not, in our dime defense and playing that nickel linebacker. He’s going to be a handful. One of the things that has really stuck out in this camp is what a great coverage guy he is.

"

It sounds like the Cowboys brass are hoping Carter can win the job, but there is a lot of hard work to be done before that decision can be made.

Prediction: Connor earns the starting spot.

Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers

Vincent Jackson's departure via free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opens up more than one training camp battle. 

The San Diego Chargers brought in Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem to compete with Malcolm Floyd for both the starting spots. 

Head coach Norv Turner likes what he sees in Meachem so far, according to SI.com:

"

Meachem can get up the field. He's a deep threat, but he's also a more versatile receiver than I thought he'd be when you looked at tape...But he's an outstanding route running, he's a good 'feel' receiver and he does have outstanding hands.

"

All three players will see plenty of time on the field in three-wide sets, but I am curious to see which one claims the No. 1 spot and which one settles in behind him at the No. 2 spot. 

Prediction: No. 1 spot goes to Meachem. No. 2 spot goes to Floyd. Royal will be the slot receiver in three-wide sets.

No. 1 Running Back, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots weren't too worried when BenJarvus Green-Ellis left town for more cash in Cincinnati with the Bengals. 

They have two young backs, Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, who have the potential to become excellent players in their offense. 

Vereen has been seeing more time with the starters during team OTAs and minicamp, according to CSNNE.com, but that doesn't mean a thing this early in the year. He is a talented receiver out of the backfield, though, and his speed in the open field can't be denied. 

Ridley, on the other hand, started two games last year and did well. For the year, Ridley ran for 441 yards and a 5.1 yards per carry average. 

ESPN.com's James Walker says that the battle for this spot is still "wide open" heading into training camp. He's not wrong. This will be one of the best battles all summer long.

Prediction: Vereen will earn the spot.

Starting Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll loves competition, and he's got himself a good, old-fashioned quarterback battle brewing between Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson and rookie Russell Wilson. 

According to Yahoo! Sports, Jackson enters training camp as the No. 1 quarterback, but Carroll makes it clear that nothing has been decided yet for the regular season.

"

We don't know yet. We're going to stay with Tarvaris as number one; he maintained that through the OTAs. But Matt is really ready to go, and so is Russell. They performed very well in our camps, their numbers were really close. They just deserve the chance to keep battling.

"

Seahawks fans may well be cringing at those words. Jackson isn't among the top 20 quarterbacks in the league in my book, and you know they were hoping Flynn could right the ship in 2012. 

We won't likely know the outcome of this situation until close to Week 1 of the regular season.

Prediction: Flynn earns the spot.

Starting Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

I'll probably be proven wrong in five years, but from what I can tell right now, taking Ryan Tannehill with the No. 8 overall pick was one of the worst decisions any team made in the 2012 NFL draft.

He's nowhere close to being ready to assess NFL defenses, and the battle for the starting spot this summer will involve David Garrard and Matt Moore, as Tannehill will start the season as the third-string quarterback.

Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar writes:

"

Last we saw, it was Garrard (who struggled through back injuries before making a 2012 comeback) who had the top spot, but the common thread with the Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks, who also have a three-way battle, is that the "starter" can change on a daily basis. 

"

This won't end well.

The Dolphins would have been better off sticking with Matt Moore, who was pretty good last year in relief of Chad Henne. They have a solid defense and a good running game, and they will need to rely on them this coming season anyways, as they are frightfully short on talent at the wide receiver position. 

Prediction: Matt Moore will start the season as the No. 1 quarterback.

Starting Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are in a tough spot to start the 2012 season, as they once again don't have a starting quarterback to start training camp.

It's become a yearly event down in the desert for Ken Whisenhunt and his Cardinals. Since Kurt Warner retired, Whisenhunt has been searching for the right trigger man to run his offense. 

I'm not a huge fan of either player. In fact, they display many of the same bad tendencies under pressure, as they are both prone to turning the ball over at crucial times. One of them will be starting under center in Week 1, though, like it or not.

It may just boil down to which quarterback is better at getting the ball downfield to Larry Fitzgerald. ESPN.com's Mike Sando broke down both of their tendencies and discovered that Skelton was better in 2011 than Kolb in that category.

Skelton was a winner when it came to wins and losses, too, posting a 5-2 record. Kolb's record in 2011, on the other hand, was 3-6. 

Prediction: Skelton will win the job.

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