Green Bay Packers: 5 Most Crucial Training Camp Position Battles to Watch

The Green Bay Packers will open training camp on July 31, and the battles will begin.

The position battles, that is—though past years have featured literal fistfights. 

This summer, the players on Green Bay's offseason roster will battle for a handful of open spots on the depth chart. Some will be starting jobs, while others will be important rotational and depth roles. 

The following list ranks the importance of these battles at positions ranging from defensive end to starting tight end. We'll break down the competitions that will have the least impact on game action, due to a limited number of snaps, to the ones that could change the course of the season: the starting jobs. 

5. 3rd-String QB

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If all goes well in 2015, the Packers' third-string quarterback should hopefully never see the field. 

But Aaron Rodgers' health hasn't been 100 percent over the last two seasons, with the starting quarterback missing time in 2013 with a broken collarbone and in 2014 with a persistent calf injury. 

While backup Scott Tolzien is ready to go as the backup, the Packers learned the hard way in 2013 that even the third-stringers need to be prepared for game action in certain scenarios. 

The reason this battle ranks No. 5 is because it may not be a true battle at all. We know that rookie and fifth-round draft pick Brett Hundley must win the roster spot...right? After all, the Packers traded up 19 spots in the draft to select him. 

However, veteran journeyman quarterback and Wisconsin product Matt Blanchard is making that No. 3 spot slightly contentious. 

Per Demovsky, Blanchard is "so far ahead of" rookie Brett Hundley currently and will enter camp as the third-string quarterback. 

What this battle will likely come down to is the fact that there's almost no chance Hundley would clear waivers if the Packers tried to stash him on the practice squad, and teams haven't exactly been knocking down Blanchard's door. But Hundley will have to show something in training camp for fans to feel like that spot on the 53-man roster was earned. 

4. No. 6 WR

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Will this position—No. 6 wide receiver—even exist on the 2015 roster? 

All signs point to the Packers keeping six receivers after final cuts, even though they only had five in 2014. Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and rookie Ty Montgomery are locks. And second-year players Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis have barely any live-game snaps; Abbrederis, in fact, has yet to take one after spending his rookie year on injured reserve. 

So if there is indeed a sixth receiver spot, is it guaranteed to Abbrederis? Or could one of Green Bay's talented undrafted rookies beat him out for it?

Both Brian Carriveau of 247Sports and Cheesehead TV's Aaron Nagler think undrafted free agent Ricky Collins could make a legitimate play for a spot on the final roster. 

ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported recently that "Abbrederis could be in trouble." At this point, before camp, it seems safe to assume that his position on the roster is far from a lock. 

Collins didn't receive an invitation to the NFL combine, but he had a predraft visit with the Packers. His 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day impressed the team, per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.

In his senior year at Texas A&M-Commerce, Collins had 44 receptions for 1,053 yards and 13 touchdowns.

If Collins doesn't make the 53-man roster, expect him to land on the practice squad. 

3. Starting DE

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There's a game of musical chairs going on at the Packers' starting defensive end spot opposite Mike Daniels in the base defense. 

In a vacuum and without seeing how the linemen perform in training camp, Datone Jones would seem a likely candidate to claim that starting job.

After all, Jones did have three starts last season. His snaps increased in 2014 with 385 compared to 276 in 2013, per Pro Football Focus. 

But the league suspended Jones for the season opener against the Chicago Bears for a citation for marijuana possession early in the offseason, as reported by the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Ryan Wood and Doug Schneider. So in terms of starting the season, he's out—not to discount him earning the job after his suspension. 

The next player up could be Letroy Guion, who stepped in for B.J. Raji at nose tackle in 2014 and had the best season of his career. Guion is too talented to sit behind Raji on the bench; the Packers will want to get him involved at end. 

However, Guion's punishment from the league as a result of his February arrest for possession of marijuana and a firearm remains undetermined, so he's likely out as the Game 1 starter as well. 

That leaves Josh Boyd. 

Boyd is better in run defense than Jones, who is more of a situational pass-rusher, which could have given him the legs to win this competition outright in camp. But given the legal troubles that Jones and Guion have both endured this offseason, Boyd may be a shoo-in to start at least in Game 1, if not beyond. 

2. Starting and Slot CB

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Like defensive end, musical chairs could describe the situation at cornerback as well—except instead of one empty seat, there is only one seat currently filled. 

Sam Shields will start on the left side of the field. That's a given. As for who will start on the outside across from him and who will be the go-to players in the nickel and dime sub-packages, that's another story.

Rookie Damarious Randall appears best "suited to play only on the outside," ESPN.com's Rob Demovksy noted this offseason. And second-round rookie Rollins is better inside. 

Veteran Casey Hayward, who started seven games in 2012, seems like a sure thing to move to the outside, but he's currently dealing with a foot injury. If that hinders him throughout of camp, the Packers may have to think about starting Randall outside for the season opener. Second-year player Demetri Goodson would also be an option. 

Rollins, on the other hand, would be in primary competition with Micah Hyde for the nickel corner job. Hyde has plenty of experience, having taken 242 snaps there in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. But if Rollins keeps getting reps in the slot, he could take over in the dime package. 

1. Starting TE

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Tight end was shaping up to be one of the Packers' most contentious position battles heading into training camp. 

Based on on-field factors alone, the competition between veteran Andrew Quarless and second-year player Richard Rodgers could still be close. However, Quarless' offseason arrest could push the job further into Rodgers' court. 

ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported that, per two sources, the Packers don't plan to release Quarless after an incident over Fourth of July in which he allegedly fired a handgun twice while arguing with two women.

The case is still unresolved, but "Quarless could be subject to discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy," so the Packers could change their stance on him if he faces any missed time. 

In the meantime, it seems the team will let the players head into camp and compete for the job. Rodgers had five starts in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, while Quarless had 11. Rodgers finished the regular season with 225 yards on 20 receptions and two touchdowns, and Quarless had 29 receptions for 323 yards and three touchdowns. 

That means Rodgers actually had slightly more yards per catch (11.3) than Quarless (11.1). Who knows how those numbers would look if Rodgers got more opportunities? His ceiling is still unestablished, while Quarless is a known commodity. 

For that reason—and compounded by Quarless' legal troubles—expect Rodgers to earn more starts in 2015.