New York Jets: 5 Most Crucial Training Camp Position Battles to Watch

New York Jets will soon be holding their first practices of training camp. 

All of the hype will finally come to a head, as 90 players compete to become 53, backups compete to become starters, starters compete to keep their jobs and depth players compete to not lose theirs.

There will be battles up and down the Jets' depth chart this summer. The simple fact these battles will be hotly contested, rather than a choice between the lesser of two evils, is a sign things are looking up for the Jets. That several of their key holes in the starting lineup from last year have been filled is another reason for a positive outlook.

But no matter where you look on the roster, there are position battles that will have a great impact on the complexion of the 2015 Jets.

5. Outside Linebacker

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Lorenzo Mauldin (above) is widely expected to surpass Calvin Pace as a starting outside linebacker.

We can say with a fair degree of certainty that Quinton Coples will be one of the Jets' starting outside linebackers in 2015. That's just based on his improvement over the course of his three-year career in addition to his usage last year, when he started 15 games at outside linebacker. 

After drafting Lorenzo Mauldin in the third round, the rookie defensive end/outside linebacker prospect appears primed to compete for a top spot on the Jets depth chart. To do so, he'll have to get past Calvin Pace, the 12-year veteran who has started every game for the Jets at outside linebacker for the past four seasons.

Mauldin has a much more athletic skill set than Pace, but Mauldin doesn't have anywhere near the football knowledge and NFL experience of Pace. That being said, Mauldin will never get the experience if he doesn't start somewhere. 

Further down the depth chart, undrafted rookies Julian Howsare and Deion Barnes will compete with veteran Jason Babin for another roster spot. The Jets could save $1.5 million by cutting Babin, according to Over The Cap. Howsare and Barnes could both contribute on special teams as well. These two facts appear to give a pretty clear-cut advantage to the young guys.

4. Running Back

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Bilal Powell (29, above) will once again be the Jets' top option on passing downs.

As long as he stays healthy, Chris Ivory will be the Jets' No. 1 running back in 2015. As soon as you hit No. 2 on the depth chart, though, the questions begin.

Chris Johnson got the second-most carries and snaps in 2014, but following his departure, his former spot is there for the taking. Bilal Powell was the Jets' No. 3 back last year with 242 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He earned most of his playing time in passing situations. The Jets could ask him to reprise that role, but he has some competition in terms of his role as a pure running back.

The Jets added Stevan Ridley, Zac Stacy and Daryl Richardson this offseason, so there are plenty of talented running backs capable of snatching up some playing time for themselves.

Ridley is rehabbing from a torn ACL, and Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media thinks there's about a "40-60" percent chance that Ridley begins the season on the physically unable to perform list. If that's the case, both Stacy and Richardson will have a pretty clear shot to the roster. If Ridley is ready to roll, though, there's a chance either Stacy or Richardson will be looking for work in the summer.

Stacy has shown that he can get yards after contact and averaged 2.45 yards after contact per rush attempt in 2013, eighth-best out of 25 qualifying running backs that season. He fell to the wayside with the St. Louis Rams last year following the arrival of Tre Mason, and this year's selection of Todd Gurley at No. 10 overall rendered Stacy obsolete.

As for Richardson, the fourth-year back has shown some of the elusiveness that would be necessary to back up Powell as a passing-down back, and he should be considered a real threat to that No. 4 spot on the depth chart if only because he offers more variety in the backfield than Stacy, who is basically a slower version of Ridley and Ivory.

3. Guard

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Oday Aboushi (above) stepped in for an injured starter at guard last year; could he carry over as the starter in 2015?

The Jets signed James Carpenter away from the Seattle Seahawks, and after giving him $5 million guaranteed, it's a pretty safe bet he'll land the starting honors at left guard. The 6'5", 321-pound guard was not a great fit in a zone-blocking scheme, but his massive frame could be a perfect fit in the man-blocking scheme the Jets will run.

The other guard spot is a logjam of ifs and maybes.

If Oday Aboushi can build off the experiences of last year, when he filled in for an injured Brian Winters, he could be a formidable starting right guard. If rookie Jarvis Harrison can stay motivated, he could unlock his massive potential and compete for the job as well. Maybe Willie Colon will prove everyone wrong and claim the starting spot as his own for a third straight year. Perhaps Winters will quickly recover from his injury and prove that he can rebound from a rough start to his career.

If none of those things happen, though, the Jets may be facing some major issues on the interior of their offensive line.

2. Cornerback

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Dexter McDougle (above) is one of two Jets cornerbacks trying to battle back from injury.

Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie will be the Jets' top two cornerbacks. There's not a lot of clarity beside that.

One would assume Buster Skrine is the front-runner to earn top honors in the slot. The Jets showed a lot of confidence in him by giving him $13 million in guaranteed money this offseason. He only allowed 56.9 percent completions in 2014, but opponents completed eight touchdowns into his coverage. At 5'9" and 186 pounds, he's a bit smaller than the average Jets cornerback, but he has the perfect build and skill set for a slot corner.

There are other, younger cornerbacks to account for as well.

There's also Marcus Williams, who earned some playing time at the end of the 2014 season, and Dexter McDougle, who missed last season with a torn ACL. McDougle was a full participant in spring practices, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, and he could be a threat to playing time in the secondary as well. 

Don't forget about Dee Milliner. The one-time first-round pick missed his second season with a torn Achilles tendon, and he's a candidate for the physically unable to perform list, according to Cimini, but he could steal some snaps when he returns.

There's a lot of talent in the secondary—both at the top and bottom of the depth chart. There will be a lot of capable cornerbacks jockeying for position, and the standings could change throughout the season, but it will be fun to watch these cornerbacks duke it out this summer.

1. Quarterback

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Geno Smith (7, middle) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (14, right) will be battling it out for the starting quarterback job...kind of.

Depending on whom you ask and how you interpret the answer you get, the Jets may or may not be having a quarterback competition this summer.

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was quick to proclaim Geno Smith the starting signal-caller for the Jets in the spring. Head coach Todd Bowles clarified that there will be a competition but that the job is Smith's to lose and Ryan Fitzpatrick's to take. 

That kind of phraseology suggests Smith will have to play apocalyptic levels of awful in the summer to lose the job and that Fitzpatrick will have to play heavenly levels of perfect in order to claim it. 

Either Smith or Fitzpatrick would be a good fit for Gailey's system, in which the quarterback operates mainly from the shotgun and the personnel grouping and formations are designed to spread out the field with a heavy dose of three- and four-receiver sets. Smith has a background in that kind of system at West Virginia, and Fitzpatrick has a history with Gailey from their time together with the Buffalo Bills.

Whether it's Fitzpatrick or Smith, the Jets have surrounded their starting quarterback with enough weapons and tools on offense to move the ball efficiently and frequently. With a dominant defense on the other side of the ball, there's no pressure on the offense to score more than 20 points in a game to still come out with a win.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release and all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus. Salary-cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap.