Baltimore Ravens: Updating the Biggest Training Camp Battles to Watch

For a team that was a few plays away from a Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens could field a surprising amount of new starters in 2012.

Fortunately for the Ravens, they have a glut of talent at nearly every position, so most of the turnover is simply a result of new talent emerging, rather than the loss of key players.

That is the case at cornerback and wide receiver, where the main contributors from last season return, but other players are battling to gain the starting job.

Of course, there are a few exceptions, as the loss of Cory Redding, Jarret Johnson and Ben Grubbs indicate.

Each of these three starters will be missed, but the Ravens have enough young talent to fill each void adequately.

Who will fill these voids, however, remains in question.

With this in mind, here are the five key positional battles to watch as the Ravens go through training camp.

Left Guard—Bobbie Williams vs. Jah Reid vs. Kelechi Osemele

Perhaps, no void is bigger, both literally and metaphorically, than that left by Ben Grubbs.

Arguably the Ravens' best offensive lineman, Grubbs has moved on to the New Orleans Saints, leaving a massive hole to fill.

Fortunately, the Ravens have three massive bodies with which to plug that hole.

Heading into training camp, the Ravens seemed set on allowing Jah Reid and Kelechi Osemele to duke it out to earn the spot.

For whatever reason, the Ravens decided to add Bobbie Williams to the competition, and now, Williams is the presumed starter.

Don't sleep on Reid or Osemele though. Reid is a mauler who had a good preseason last year, and the Ravens didn't draft Osemele so early just for him to sit.

Though the battle for the starting job might already be settled with Williams, this will still be an interesting battle to observe, as Reid and Osemele will still fight bitterly to take on the role of heir-apparent.

Expect Osemele to come away from camp with his stock rising, which could very well earn him ample playing time as the season progresses.

Third Wide Receiver—Jacoby Jones vs. Tandon Doss vs. Others

Perhaps, the most improved position on the Ravens is the third receiver position, but this is simply by default, as the Ravens got next to no production from their backup receivers in 2011.

This year, the Ravens have newly signed Jacoby Jones as the favorite to line up in passing situations, but Tandon Doss, Tommy Streeter, LaQuan Williams, and even Deonte Thompson, could have something to say about that.

These five receivers will constantly battle throughout training camp to earn extra reps. This battle will be especially interesting because each receiver excels at a different aspect of the receiver position.

Jacoby Jones is a speedster who does his best work after the catch, but his hands have let him down at times.

Tandon Doss has a similar skill set to Anquan Boldin but with more speed and height. If Doss can rebound from a tough rookie year, he could be the surprise of the team in 2012.

Tommy Streeter, meanwhile, is an enormous target with great jump-ball ability, but he also has the speed to function as an excellent deep threat.

LaQuan Williams doesn't do any one thing spectacularly, but he does everything well enough. If his hands have developed over the offseason, he could even be the favorite to get playing time behind Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.

Finally, Deonte Thompson was a dark-horse candidate for a roster spot, but he has firmly inserted himself into the discussion with his excellent minicamp. Thompson is simply too fast to cover at times, and with just a little more polish, he could become a mainstay for the Ravens.

All in all, the Ravens can feel good about the young talent they have at the wide receiver position for perhaps the first time in franchise history.

This battle will bear intense scrutiny, as it will give an indication of which players are the future of the Ravens' passing game.

Outside Linebacker—Paul Kruger vs. Courtney Upshaw vs. Others

Unfortunately, Terrell Sugg's Achilles injury has made this battle less interesting, as Courtney Upshaw and Paul Kruger are almost locks to be the starters.

The key question here is whether or not anyone else will be able to contribute.

The two key players here behind Kruger and Upshaw are Sergio Kindle and Albert McClellan.

Kindle is on his last chance as a Raven. He will either become a difference maker this year or move on. 

While he has shown very little in his career, Kindle is finally healthy and well-versed in the defense. If the athleticism he's known for is still there, he could be a pleasant surprise this season as a situational pass-rusher.

McClellan, on the other hand, already has starting experience, which he made the most of against the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.

What makes McClellan a great fit for this defense is his versatility, as he can line up at any of the linebacker positions in the Ravens' 3-4 defense.

That versatility will almost guarantee McClellan a roster spot, but will it be enough to guarantee him playing time?

If he continues his solid play in 2012, McClellan could end up the first option off the bench at outside linebacker until Suggs returns.

Without Suggs, this is probably the biggest weakness of the team, but a solid performance from Kindle could help alleviate some of the pain. That makes Kindle one of the most important players at Ravens camp.

Defensive End—Pernell McPhee vs. Art Jones

This is one of the only traditional one-on-one positional battles heading into Ravens camp, but this one might be a little anticlimactic, as both Art Jones and Pernell McPhee are expected to garner significant playing time this season.

Still, one of them has to be named the starter, and these two competitors will fight to the end to earn that role.

Pernell McPhee has quickly ascended into one of the Ravens' best pass-rushers, although this is partially because of a lack of viable rushers aside from Terrell Suggs.

Still, Mcphee is a pure hustle player with excellent athleticism and strength for his size. He is the absolute ideal player to rush the passer from the Ravens' defensive end position, and his run defense isn't bad either.

Art Jones might lack McPhee's explosion in getting after passer, but he's stronger and does a better job setting the edge.

Where McPhee often makes plays on his own, Jones does the dirty work in setting up his teammates to make plays.

Ultimately, expect Jones to come away as the starter and main contributor in running situations, with McPhee coming off the bench to provide a spark in the pass rush.

Cornerback—Jimmy Smith vs. Cary Williams

The battle for the starting cornerback position opposite Lardarius Webb will be the battle to watch throughout training camp, as Cary Williams and Jimmy Smith will both fight tooth and nail to earn the starting job.

What makes this battle so interesting is the fact that both are very similar players.

Both Williams and Smith excel in press coverage, where they can use their size and athleticism to throw receivers off their routes.

The difference between the two is that Williams has already reached his potential, while Jimmy Smith is just scratching the surface of what he's capable of.

Smith has emerged as the favorite in this battle, despite the fact that Williams is the incumbent. Smith's talent gives him the edge, but perhaps more importantly, the Ravens didn't use a first-round pick on Smith to let him sit on the bench.

The Ravens expect great things from both players, and this competition will certainly bring out the best in them.

Ultimately, though, Smith will get the nod due to his abundant upside.