Projecting Which NFL Starters Will Lose Their Starting Jobs in Training Camp

A number of starting jobs will be won and lost when training camps finally open around the NFL later this month and into August. 

More than likely, a majority of those jobs will be veterans ceding their spots atop the depth chart to younger, more capable options. 

While training camp is an optimistic time of opportunity for most players, it is also a stressful period for those who are clinging to the roles of past years. In a young man's game, no job is safe. 

In the following slides, we will look at the veterans who are most in danger of losing their starting jobs during training camp. In most of the cases, a young, promising rookie represents the root cause of the veteran's occupational stress. 

OT Bobby Massie, Arizona Cardinals

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Back in early May, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told Kyle Odegard of the team's official site that he'd prefer for first-round offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to sit on the bench and learn for a year behind left tackle Jared Veldheer and right tackle Bobby Massie. 

By the end of August, he may be singing a different tune. 

Veldheer is locked in as the starting left tackle, but there's no reason why a talented player like Humphries can't use camp to unseat Massie, who graded out as the No. 42 overall tackle at Pro Football Focus last season. 

There's certainly value in the 21-year-old Humphries learning the ins and outs of the pro game before being thrown into the fire, especially for a playoff-quality team like Arizona. But Massie is also entering a contract year, and Humphries was drafted to replace him by 2016, at the latest. If the rookie turns in a good camp, there's no reason to delay the inevitable. 

RG Ronald Leary, Dallas Cowboys

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The NFL's most dominant offensive line from a year ago has a chance to be better in 2015, with all five starters returning and the addition of talented rookie La'el Collins.

The Cowboys really have no need to rush Collins, who started at left tackle for LSU but will cross-train at left guard and right tackle this summer. But there's also no need to keep him out of the lineup if he wins a job at camp, where he will compete with Ronald Leary at left guard and Doug Free at right tackle.

Collins' most likely starting opportunity comes at left guard, where Leary is coming off a career-best season and won't be easy to unseat. This prediction is rooted more in Collins' ability and far less in Leary's incompetence. Continuity is nice up front, but Collins could be special alongside all that talent. 

WR Jerricho Cotchery, Carolina Panthers

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Cotchery served as Carolina's de facto No. 2 receiver in 2014, catching 48 passes for 580 yards and one score over 15 games. That impact simply wasn't good enough. The Panthers acted during the draft, using a second-round pick on Michigan receiver Devin Funchess. 

The 33-year-old Cotchery may still enter camp taking first-team reps. Veterans are often afforded that right. But the expectation should be that Funchess—a towering target (6'5") capable of stretching the field and playing any of the three receiver spots—will overtake Cotchery and earn a starting job opposite Kelvin Benjamin during camp. 

NT Phil Taylor, Cleveland Browns

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First-round picks are generally selected to be immediate starters. Taylor, a first-round pick in 2011, started 16 games for Cleveland as a rookie. But now first-round pick Danny Shelton is in town, and the expectation is that he'll start at nose tackle ahead of Taylor once training camp is closed. 

Taylor has had an up-and-down four years with the Browns. He needs to have a big camp, while also proving his troublesome knee is healthy, to hold off Shelton. More than likely, the 339-pound rookie will win the battle and start in the middle between Randy Starks and Desmond Bryant. 

LB David Hawthorne, New Orleans Saints

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The Saints traded for Dannell Ellerbe and drafted Stephone Anthony in the first round this offseason, leaving the team's 3-4 defense with three capable inside linebackers and just two starting spots. Who is the odd man out?

The rookie might be the most likely candidate, given the fact he's attempting to become the quarterback of the defense in his first season. That's a tall task. But Anthony has the talent to win the job, especially if Hawthorne—who turned 30 and took a pay cut this spring—shows any sign of regression in camp. Football remains a young man's game. 

LB Donald Butler, San Diego Chargers

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Butler has started 53 games over the last four seasons for the Chargers, but he'll need to hold off a hard-hitting rookie to keep starting in 2015. 

San Diego used a second-round pick on Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman, giving the team a trio of players on the inside (including Manti Te'o) for defensive coordinator John Pagano's 3-4 front. It's possible the odd man out is Butler, who is coming off a 2014 season in which he tallied a career-low 73 tackles and finished 58th out of 60 qualified inside linebackers at Pro Football Focus. 

Maybe Butler is finally healthy and capable of becoming an impact player again. But he'll have to prove it at camp, where Perryman will have every opportunity to steal his starts and snaps. 

RB Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

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This "competition" might be over before camp even starts.

Second-round pick T.J. Yeldon looks like the odds-on favorite to be Jacksonville's three-down workhorse at running back, sending Robinson and Toby Gerhart to the bench. Camp will serve as the rookie's chance to put the final nail in the coffin. 

Robinson, a collegiate quarterback-turned-NFL running back, surprised most everyone last season by leading the Jaguars in rushing. He'll have his chance to win back his touches during August, but Yeldon probably fits the scheme better. Expect Robinson to cede the job at camp. 

WR Justin Hunter, Tennesee Titans

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Eight starts in 2014 produced just 28 catches for Hunter, a former second-round pick of the Titans. He is 6'4" with vertical speed and leaping ability, but the athletic traits simply haven't resulted in on-field production. 

The Titans appear done with the waiting. This offseason brought Harry Douglas and Hakeem Nicks in free agency, and the team also drafted Dorial Green-Beckham and Tre McBride. There is plenty of quality depth available. Starting games to begin 2015 will require a huge camp from Hunter.