Indianapolis Colts: 5 Most Crucial Training Camp Position Battles to Watch

Each year, the Indianapolis Colts, like any other team, have a glut of training camp battles that play a large role in determining the season's outcome.

Last year, Mike Adams won the starting safety role in training camp and turned it into a Pro Bowl alternate selection. Zach Kerr beat out a number of other contenders for a rotational defensive line role, and he could now be a big part of the team's future plans. Jack Mewhort won the starting left guard role after Donald Thomas went down with a quad tear, and now he is one of the few linemen labeled with optimism on the Colts' roster.

The examples could go on and on.

Training camp battles, as well as the injuries that are the result of those battles, shape the following season in ways we don't always grasp right away.

Remember, Antoine Bethea held down the Colts secondary for years after winning the starting role as a sixth-round draft pick in 2006.

Which battles can key both 2015 success and potential long-term impact? Who will we be watching closely as August progresses?

Left Guard: Hugh Thornton vs. Lance Louis

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It seems like each season the Colts have a battle at guard.

The hope was the growth of Jack Mewhort and the addition of veteran Todd Herremans would give the team set starters going into the 2015 training camp, but the injury concerns of Gosder Cherilus have derailed that possibility.

With Cherilus' recovery taking longer than expected, Mewhort started at right tackle during OTAs and minicamp, leaving the left guard spot open for the taking. According to Mike Wells of ESPN.com, third-year guard Hugh Thornton and veteran Lance Louis rotated at the spot during the offseason, and they will likely compete in training camp.

Thornton has potential on his side, having been drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft due to his strength and athletic potential. If he is completely healthy, he won't have any more excuses. If he wins the job, the Colts still have hope he can be a long-term piece.

If Louis is starting for Indianapolis in September, Andrew Luck may have a very long season ahead of him. Let's just put it that way.

Defensive End: Kendall Langford vs. Henry Anderson

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How much of a battle will a third-round pick be able to provide a veteran defensive end that just signed a four-year, $17 million contract?

That's the question surrounding highly regarded Henry Anderson and free-agent signing Kendall Langford. While Langford has the advantage and will likely have the starting spot in September, the battle in August could set up a potential usurping midway through the season.

Langford, after all, has been a starter at best for most of his career, but he hasn't played at a particularly high level. Langford was disappointing in St. Louis' 4-3 defense, prompting his benching last season. There is cause for hope the move back to a five-tech role in the Colts defense will help a rebound, but it is no guarantee.

While Anderson may be a third-round pick, he has a very stark upside to him. He was one of the most productive defensive linemen in the country last season, with Pro Football Focus taking up the mantle as his most staunch supporter.

It will be very difficult for Anderson to supplant Langford by Week 1, but a solid preseason and training camp could lay the groundwork for the future.

Safety: Dwight Lowery vs. Clayton Geathers

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Safety is another position that has consistently been a problem spot for Indianapolis.

Mike Adams has been a decent stop-gap replacement, but he's not a playmaker, and he isn't a long-term option. But for 2015, the issue lies on the other side.

The Colts signed Dwight Lowery to fill LaRon Landry's old spot, fresh out of a starting role in Atlanta. But the Colts also drafted Clayton Geathers out of the University of Central Florida in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, and Geathers will have a legitimate chance to make a difference in training camp.

According to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com, Geathers has already made a big impact in the Colts' offseason, including getting reps with the No. 1 defense in certain subpackages as a nickel linebacker.

Is Geathers the future of the position in Indianapolis? It's impossible to know right now.

But if he has a strong training camp, he could easily push Lowery for starting snaps. Lowery was an average starter at best in Atlanta, and he has started double-digit games just two other times. After both starting stints, Lowery would either be injured or benched in the following two years.

To put it frankly, Lowery is not a solution. Geathers might be. Training camp will be where we might see the first hints.

Center: Jonotthan Harrison vs. Khaled Holmes

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One of the few training camp "battles" that doesn't have a clear front-runner, the center competition will have the same characters as last season.

On one hand is third-year center Khaled Holmes, who finished the 2014 season as the starter in Indianapolis.

On the other is second-year center Jonotthan Harrison, who started the most games of any Colts center last year (10 games).

The two have very different strengths and weaknesses, which were big factors in 2014's splits. Harrison has a ton of strength and can move people on the offensive line as well as any Colts lineman. But Harrison was also prone to mental mistakes, whether it was in pass protection or mistiming the snap count.

This is why Holmes was inserted into the starting lineup. With two years now in the Colts locker room, Holmes has a good grasp of the offense and did a solid job of communicating with the rest of the line down the stretch.

If Harrison can increase his grasp of the mental side of the game, his physical strengths should give him an edge.

Backup Running Back: Dan Herron vs. Josh Robinson

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Once a practice-squad afterthought and waiver-wire veteran, Dan Herron worked his way into the starting lineup last season. After Ahmad Bradshaw's season-ending injury and Trent Richardson's continuing descent into hell, Herron was the Colts' best option late in the year.

Not only did Herron play, but he played well. Herron averaged 4.5 yards per carry and was a dependable option out of the backfield, which is more than enough to be the Colts' backup running back.

But, there is a player with a higher ceiling out there: rookie running back Josh Robinson.

Robinson was one of the nation's most elusive backs last year, according to Pro Football Focus:

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You don’t see Josh Robinson talked about often among draft prospects, but he is one of the better backs at making defenders miss at the second level with his excellent lateral agility. His 3.96 rush attempts per missed tackle forced is the second-best rate among Power 5 running backs with at least 100 carries in this draft class.

"

Is Robinson a better option than Herron for 2015? It's unlikely, considering he was a sixth-round pick.

But like the other young players on this list, there is room to move up.

While Herron is the clear No. 2 back right now, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com, a strong camp by Robinson could allow the Colts to use more of a committee than previously assumed.