New England Patriots: 5 Most Crucial Training-Camp Position Battles to Watch

Anticipation is reaching its peak. Training camp is just less than two weeks away, which means we don't have to wait too much longer to find out how the New England Patriots' key battles will shake out.

Even as the defending Super Bowl champions, the Patriots have a lot of battles that could have a tremendous impact on the complexion of their roster for the 2015 season.

Some spots are sewn up—it's highly unlikely that anyone is going to dethrone Rob Gronkowski as the starting tight end. But thanks to several key veteran departures as well as some big-name acquisitions, the Patriots roster is far from set in stone. Even at some positions where the starting spots are already filled, plenty of backup spots will be hotly contested.

Here's a look at some of the Patriots' most important training-camp battles this summer.

5. Linebacker

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Oct 27, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher (52) salutes after sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) as Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito (68) walks by during the fourth quarter of their 27-17 win

There's no battle for starting spots. If healthy, the three starting Patriots linebackers will be Dont'a Hightower, Jerod Mayo and Jamie Collins. 

The key words there are "if healthy." There's a possibility that Hightower could begin the season on the active/physically unable to perform list, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. That would open up one starting spot for a backup. 

Dane Fletcher, James Morris, Jonathan Freeny, Matt Wells and Darius Fleming are the top linebackers competing for roster spots as backups. All five linebackers have special teams experience, so that's a wash. Fletcher, Morris and Fleming all have a leg up thanks to prior experience with the Patriots, but Freeny and Wells could make their cases as well. 

In fact, Freeny and Morris have already begun to make their case thanks to some opportunities to run with the first-team defense in the spring while Mayo and Hightower missed time at practice. 

That being said, assuming Hightower is unable to start in Week 1, Fletcher and Fleming would have to be considered the safest bets to start in his stead. They are the best fits in Hightower's role, and they both have experience in the defense. That's just for now, though, and there's plenty of time in training camp for someone to step up and prove himself capable of snatching up that spot. 

4. Wide Receiver

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Brian Tyms (above) will be one of a few backups fighting for opportunities at wide receiver.

This is a sneaky battle because it seems that the Patriots have already figured out most of their depth chart at the wide receiver position. Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola will most likely be sitting atop the depth chart, with everyone else fighting for leftover opportunities.

That fight will probably come down to Brian Tyms, Aaron Dobson and Brandon Gibson. 

On paper, Tyms and Dobson would appear to be the front-runners. If training-camp battles took place on paper, though, there would be no need for training camp.

Both men had solid performances in spring practices, but don't sleep on Gibson. The former Miami Dolphins wideout was running with both the first- and second-team offenses in the spring and was targeted frequently by Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. 

The 6'3", 204-pound Tyms has the frame and strider style of route running often associated with boundary receivers. The same goes for the 6'3", 205-pound Dobson, a former second-round pick who did not get much of an opportunity to follow up on a strong rookie campaign because of some injuries.

Gibson is smaller than Tyms and Dobson, at 6'0" and 210 pounds, but he is a savvy route-runner, and if he can prove he's fully recovered from a knee injury that ended his 2013 season, he could make some noise in this battle. 

Even Jonathan Krause, a second-year player from Vanderbilt, could factor into the competition. The 5'11", 190-pound 23-year-old was returning punts and kicks in practices this spring and even saw some opportunities to catch passes from Garoppolo. He may not make the final roster, but he'll be a strong candidate for the practice squad. 

Matthew Slater is close to a lock for the team as the gunner but will not contribute much (if at all) on offense. 

3. Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The top spots are already sewn up on the edge of the Patriots defense. Barring some unforeseen injury or other incident, Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich will be the starting defensive ends or outside linebackers, depending on whether the Patriots are in a 4-3 or 3-4 front.

Beyond those two, however, a lot of battles are still up in the air.

We can only assume that former Cleveland Browns defensive end Jabaal Sheard will be the top backup to those two. The veteran has the ability to play either on the end or upright in a two-point stance as an outside linebacker, though he did his best work when he lined up with his hand in the dirt. Still, the Patriots will probably use him in an assortment of roles. 

The most intense battles, however, will take place at the No. 4, 5 and (potentially) 6 spots on the depth chart.

The Patriots drafted Geneo Grissom, Trey Flowers and Xzavier Dickson this year; each of them would line up as a defensive end or outside linebacker in the Patriots' scheme-versatile defense. There's also veteran Jake Bequette, who has been working a little at tight end in practices but is still listed as a defensive end. 

Unless the Patriots find a way to get six edge defenders onto the 53-man roster, they will probably end up parting ways with a name that people recognize. 

2. Guard

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Josh Kline (67, left) and Jordan Devey (65, middle) started for the Patriots in 2014; will they get a chance to do it again in 2015?

Once again, the Patriots are going through some changes on the offensive line. Last year's rigmarole involved a revolving door up front that saw different combinations being used through Week 4 of the regular season before the Patriots finally settled on a starting five.

This year, there are only three spots where starters are locked into their spots: Nate Solder will be the left tackle, Sebastian Vollmer will be the right tackle, and Bryan Stork will snap the ball as the center. The two guard spots are wide open. 

Josh Kline, Jordan Devey and Ryan Wendell each had opportunities to start at guard for the Patriots in 2014, and all three could compete for starting jobs once again in 2015. In the same breath, it's not impossible to envision any of the three former starters losing their job or even being cut before the season begins. 

Rookies Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason should also get an opportunity to show their stuff as potential starters at guard. Both men were drafted in the fourth round and come with Dante Scarnecchia's seal of approval—the Patriots' former offensive line coach was on the scouting trail for New England this season, helping his former team find new blockers.

Marcus Cannon also started at guard last year and has been the sixth man on the offensive line, filling in wherever he is needed over the course of his three-year career. Caylin Hauptmann is a dark-horse candidate for a starting job and took a lot of reps with both the first- and second-team offensive lines this spring.

This battle could be one of the most important on offense this year—and also one of the most difficult to track. 

1. Cornerback

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Logan Ryan (26, above) will be a key player to watch in the battle at cornerback.

Some positions have battles for starting spots, while other positions have battles for backup spots. But the battle at cornerback is the No. 1 camp battle to watch because there is competition up and down the depth chart.

Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler would appear to be the front-runners to start in the secondary thanks to their experience in the Patriots defense, but Bill Belichick has not had a problem moving on from veterans in the past (see Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard), regardless of their experience level. 

It's feasible that either or both of them could rotate on and off the field with other players filling in from time to time.

Daxton Swanson, Darryl Roberts, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain, Jimmy Jean, Derek Cox, Bradley King and Justin Green will all be a part of the deep battle for starting spots and roster spots on the depth chart. The Patriots added Fletcher and McClain as veteran free agents. The team drafted Roberts in the seventh round. Swanson has been with the team since last season and has made his presence felt at spring practices for the past two years.

Right now, it would appear that Ryan, Butler, Swanson, Roberts, Fletcher and McClain have the inside track to roster spots; Jean, Cox, King and Green are all long shots to make the final cut. In reality, none of that matters. It will ultimately come down to which players play the best when the bullets are real this summer. 

Unless otherwise noted, all practice notes obtained firsthand.