NFL Training Camp Battles That Could Have Major Impact for Each Division in 2015

In today's NFL, division races are often decided by the narrowest of margins. In some cases, one single game—or even one play—can mean the difference between winning a division title and missing the playoffs entirely.

While division races can come down to the wire, preparation for them will begin later this month when teams report to training camp.

This is why now is a perfect time to take a look at key roster battles in each division—ones that could have a serious impact on the overall landscape later in the season.

In most cases, these are going to be critical competitions for teams with a realistic chance of competing in their respective divisions in 2015. Can the Dallas Cowboys really replace star running back DeMarco Murray? What about the Denver Broncos and tight end Julius Thomas?

Of course, it wouldn't be much fun if we examined the obvious for every division, so expect a couple of surprises over the next few pages. 

NFC East

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Cowboys	12-4	4-2
Eagles	10-6	4-2
Giants	6-10	2-4
Redskins	4-12	2-4

Analysis

In many ways, the question in the NFC East isn't whether another team can pry the crown away from the Cowboys, but whether or not Dallas is going to take a step back after last year's playoff campaign.

This is primarily because the team parted ways with perhaps its biggest weapon from a season ago, running back DeMarco Murray.

Murray was responsible for 2,261 combined rushing and receiving yards with 13 touchdowns in 2014. He is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since Dallas decided not to draft a running back to replace Murray, the competition for the starting job will likely come down to Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Raiders castoff Darren McFadden. 

Dallas also has Ryan Williams and Lache Seastrunk currently on the roster.

If the Cowboys cannot find a viable starter or the right running back committee in this group, it could be very difficult to replicate last year's success. Obviously, this would open the door for a team like the Eagles to creep up and take control of the division.

Of course, Dallas still has that strong offensive line (ranked second overall by Pro Football Focus in run blocking last season), so the running game in Big D might just be alright after all. 

This will be something to closely watch over the next month and a half. 

NFC North

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Packers	12-4	5-1
Lions	11-5	5-1
Vikings	7-9	1-5
Bears	5-11	1-5

Analysis

The Detroit Lions have not won a division title since 1993, but the team was nearly good enough to do so last season. Had the team bested the Green Bay Packers in the season finale, Detroit would have finished 12-4 and would have sported a perfect 6-0 division record.

Much of the team's success last year was predicated on Detroit's disruptive defense. Overall, the Lions were ranked third defensively by Pro Football Focus for the season.

However, two of last season's best defenders—defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley—are no longer with the team. Finding a new defensive-line rotation will be crucial if Detroit is to minimize the loss of the former first-rounders.

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah should lock down one side of the line, and former Baltimore Ravens star Haloti Ngata will almost certainly own one tackle position. Jason Jones, who started 16 games at end last season, will probably be a fixture on the line as well.

However, the Lions are going to have to fill the other tackle position and figure out which players to sprinkle into the mix on Sundays.

Current candidates include former New Orleans Saints backup Tyrunn Walker, Caraun Reid, Xavier Proctor, Darryl Tapp and rookie fourth-round pick Gabe Wright. 

Though the Lions defense will look different in 2015, it can still be very, very good if the team can figure things out up front.

It's exciting, man," Ngata recently said of his new team, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. "You just have so many playmakers all over the front on the D-line. I'm just excited to be a part of it."

NFC South

Rogelio Solis/Associated Press

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Panthers	7-8-1	4-2
Saints	7-9	3-3
Falcons	6-10	5-1
Buccaneers	2-14	0-6

Analysis

The Atlanta Falcons were not one of the two NFC South teams to win seven games last season, but they did finish the year with the best divisional record. This is precisely why the Falcons have to be considered a legitimate division contender in 2015.

Leading the charge this year is new head coach Dan Quinn. However, before the Falcons even hired Quinn, the team hired offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who will bring a new identity to the offense.

Though Atlanta was very good at passing the football last season (eighth-best passing offense, per Pro Football Focus) Shanahan is likely to seek more balance and a stronger running game.

“We’re not going to be passing 35-40 times a game,” Falcons receiver Roddy White said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In order to field a strong running game, however, the Falcons are going to have to settle on a primary ball-carrier. The top two candidates are Devonta Freeman and rookie Tevin Coleman.

Coleman comes out of Indiana with a lot of promise. The former Hoosiers star chewed up 2,036 rushing yards a season ago and appears to have the skills to be a playmaker at the pro level.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, however, Freeman's ability to catch the football out of the backfield could give him the inside edge in this competition. Freeman caught 30 passes last year, so this is certainly a valid point.

The reality is that Atlanta is likely to use some combination of the two backs throughout the 2015 season. However, if the team can find the right backfield balance before the start of the season, this offense is going to be dangerous from the get-go. 

NFC West

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Seahawks	12-4	5-1
Cardinals	11-5	3-3
49ers	8-8	2-4
Rams	6-10	2-4

Analysis

It should be fairly obvious that the Seattle Seahawks have been the cream of the NFC West crop for the past couple of seasons, considering the team made it to the Super Bowl after both the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

However, one key fixture on those Super Bowl teams, center Max Unger, is no longer with the franchise. Unger, of course, was traded away in the offseason as part of a package used to acquire tight end Jimmy Graham from the Saints.

Having Graham should help make Seattle's offense more explosive, but the loss of Unger should not be overlooked at all (just ask last year's Cleveland Browns what it's like to lose a Pro Bowl center). 

Unger was rated fourth overall among centers last season by Pro Football Focus, and the Seahawks don't exactly have a clear replacement on deck. 

Lemuel Jeanpierre is probably the best veteran option of the group, but he has only 11 career starts to his credit. The Seahawks also have Patrick Lewis, another veteran who saw playing time last season. The rest of the group is largely made of unproven players like rookie Mark Glowinski and practice-squad member Drew Nowak.

Many fans are going to point out that Unger missed 10 games last season (Seattle went 8-2 without him), but it is also worth noting that Unger started every game in the postseason. Jeanpierre and Lewis were rated 52nd and 55th, respectively, among centers by Pro Football Focus last season.

For continuity's sake, the Seahawks have to find an adequate replacement for Unger before the start of the regular season.

AFC East

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Patriots	12-4	4-2
Bills	9-7	4-2
Dolphins	8-8	3-3
Jets	4-12	1-5

Analysis

The Buffalo Bills narrowly missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record last season and could well be in position to make a run at a division title in 2015.

Buffalo already has one of the more disruptive defenses in the NFL (rated eighth overall by Pro Football Focus last year) and spent the offseason collecting talent for the offensive side of the ball.

If the Bills are going to take real advantage of new additions like LeSean McCoy, Charles Clay and Percy Harvin, however, the team is going to have to find some stability at quarterback.

Last year's starter, Kyle Orton, retired following the season. This leaves former first-round pick EJ Manuel to compete with offseason additions Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and Matt Simms. No one in the group really inspires confidence in the position.

Manuel was rated a dismal 69th among all quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2013, when he started 10 games. Cassel is 33-39 as a starter, which isn't awful, but he is just 23-35 since leaving the New England Patriots. 

Taylor and Simms have zero NFL starts between them.

Honestly, it's anybody's job to take," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said in June, per Brent Axe of Syracuse.com. "Anybody. I mean, if you (a reporter) were the best player, I'd sign you and you would win the competition. I'm serious."

If the Bills can find an answer at quarterback before Week 1, they should immediately be able to challenge for a division title. 

AFC North

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Steelers	11-5	4-2
Bengals	10-5-1	3-3
Ravens	10-6	3-3
Browns	7-9	2-4

Analysis

Most of this article focuses on division contenders. In the AFC North, however, we're actually going to look at the bottom-feeding Cleveland Browns.

This is because the Browns can play a major role in the division, which sent three teams to the playoffs a season ago. Cleveland split its series with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals and lost both games against the Baltimore Ravens by 12 combined points.

Had any one of Cleveland's division games produced a different outcome, the 2014 playoff picture would have been dramatically altered. 

The thing is, the Browns managed to be a competitive team despite some abysmal quarterback play. Primary starter Brian Hoyer, now with Houston, was ranked 70th among all quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus last season. Then-rookie Johnny Manziel (passer rating of 42.0) was no better.

If Cleveland can get better production from the quarterback position, it can be a real AFC North factor in 2015. This is why the position battle will be so important to the division this offseason.

Publicly, the Browns have thrown their support behind journeyman Josh McCown. However, McCown went just 1-10 as a starter last season in Tampa Bay with a subpar passer rating of 70.5. If Manziel, Connor Shaw or Thad Lewis can drastically outplay him in camp and in the preseason, Cleveland would be crazy not to consider going with the hot hand in Week 1. 

AFC South

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Colts	11-5	6-0
Texans	9-7	4-2
Jaguars	3-13	1-5
Titans	2-14	1-5

Analysis

The Indianapolis Colts are likely to be the only real Super Bowl contender to come out of the AFC South this season. However, the Houston Texans are definitely talented enough to make some noise in the division and potentially in the playoffs. 

Houston managed to win nine games a season ago, despite fielding a passing game that ranked just 24th in the NFL (209.5 yards per game). This is largely because the defense (ranked 10th by Pro Football Focus) and rushing attack (135.1 yards per game) were far above average.

However, it is worth pointing out that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (passer rating of 95.3) was fairly competent during his 12 starts.

Fitzpatrick is no longer with the organization, so Houston is going to have to find a new starter from the group of Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage.

We've already mentioned that Hoyer struggled with the Browns in 2014. Can he really be a better option than Mallett, who logged two starts for the Texans in 2014?

This is the question Houston needs to answer before the start of the 2015 season. Both Hoyer and Mallett spent time as backups in New England, where Texans head coach Bill O'Brien once served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

If either player (or Savage, for that matter) can prove he fits in O'Brien's system enough to excel, the Texans should be a legitimate playoff team this season. Conor Orr of NFL.com recently predicted that Hoyer will be the man and that he will remain under center throughout the season. 

AFC West

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

2014 Standings

Team	Overall Record	Division Record
Broncos	12-4	6-0
Chiefs	9-7	3-3
Chargers	9-7	2-4
Raiders	3-13	1-5

Analysis

The Denver Broncos have won the AFC West in all three seasons since quarterback Peyton Manning arrived as a free agent. In the past two seasons, Manning has relied heavily on tight end Julius Thomas (1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns from 2013-14).

However, Thomas is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Manning is going to have to find a new favorite red-zone target.

New head coach Gary Kubiak brought along veteran tight end Owen Daniels this offseason. Daniels (527 yards, four touchdowns in 2014) is likely to enter camp as the primary pass-catcher at tight end.

However, it would be unfair to discount Virgil Green, who served primarily as a blocker in Denver last season. The Broncos were quick to give Green a three-year, $8.4 million deal once free agency began, and the Nevada product was actually rated 11th overall by Pro Football Focus in 2014, one spot above Thomas.

"They didn't need me to catch a lot of passes," Green recently said of his Broncos role, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. "But I think that's part of my game where I can still make things happen. I love to block, I take pride in moving somebody against their will in those situations, but I take pride in receiving and I think I can do it."

Because Green is such a terrific all-around tight end, he is going to see plenty of playing time this season. The trick in training camp will be to find the right combination of him and Daniels to replace what the team got out of Green and Thomas a season ago.

If the Broncos can figure out their tight end situation, the offense should avoid taking a step back in 2015 and the Broncos should again be considered the favorites to win the AFC West.