Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Most Crucial Training Camp Position Battles to Watch

Philadelphia Eagles training camp is right around the corner, which means the summer heat is about to intensify with jobs on the line.

As always, players will be competing for roster spots, playing time and starting positions at camp, and the stakes are high—a place on the bench, perhaps even getting released. Of course, the stakes are high for the Eagles as well, as the fate of the team could rest on who wins these battles.

With that in mind, we attempted to find and rank the five most crucial position battles to watch this summer. The rankings are based on which positions will have the greatest impact on the club's success in 2015.

Fortunately for the Birds, they don't have too many starting jobs or major roles up for grabs. However, one or two in particular could potentially alter the course of the entire season.

5. Interior Linebacker

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Traditionally, a 3-4 defense uses two interior linebackers. The Eagles are currently carrying three starters.

The club sent All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Kiko Alonso, a three-down linebacker with star written all over him. Then DeMeco Ryans' contract was extended, ensuring the two-time Pro Bowler would remain in midnight green for at least one more season. Plus, Mychal Kendricks is still here as well, entering the final year of his rookie contract.

All three can play. All three want to start. How will the Eagles make it work?

Alonso seems likely to be on the field the most. While he is coming off of a torn ACL that erased his 2014 campaign, he was a beast the previous season—his line of 159 tackles, 2.0 sacks, four interceptions and a forced fumble earned him PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

If Alonso has one starting job nailed down, that means some form of rotation could be in order for Ryans and Kendricks. Ryans, 30 and coming off of an Achilles injury, could line up in running downs, while Kendricks, far more dynamic of a pass-rusher and in coverage, would step in on obvious passing situations.

At least, that works in theory. We'll have to wait to see how the Eagles plan to approach this logjam.

4. 3rd Wide Receiver

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This isn't necessarily a competition in the traditional sense, as all five wide receivers could see the field. That being said, how the Eagles divvy up the playing time will be interesting.

Philadelphia is sneakily deep at wideout. The club used second- and third-round draft picks on Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff last offseason, then a first-round selection on Nelson Agholor out of USC in April. Matthews is the leading returning receiver on the roster, and Agholor was one of the most productive receivers in college football in 2014, so both are expected to be on the field a bunch.

Huff is likely contending for playing time with veterans Riley Cooper and Miles Austin. Cooper and Austin aren't exactly stars, but Huff only recorded eight receptions in his rookie year. All could play, but somebody is going to emerge as a regular third option.

The Eagles use 11 personnel, or three wide receivers, more than any other formation, so it's not an insignificant spot. It will also be interesting to see who serves as the primary slot receiver—last season, it was Matthews. How this all plays out could be fascinating to watch.

3. Right Guard

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Allen Barbre seems like a lock to replace Evan Mathis at left guard. Right guard, however, is a different story—perhaps the most wide-open competition on the Eagles roster.

Good luck handicapping this one. The vacancy appeared as though it would come down to either Matt Tobin or Andrew Gardner. After a strong preseason, Tobin struggled when inserted into the lineup in 2014, possibly hindered by an ankle injury. He eventually gave way to Gardner, who finished out the year at right guard.

But another challenger awaits. The Eagles picked up John Moffitt late in the offseason, a 2011 third-round pick who just came out of a brief retirement. It remains to be seen how serious of a contender Moffitt is for the job, but he certainly made for an intriguing addition.

There are also a slew of first- and second-year players vying for roster spots who could even stake their claim to a starting job with a strong camp. At this point, I'm not sure you can rule anything out.

2. No. 2 Cornerback

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We took an in-depth look at the competition for Philadelphia's No. 2 cornerback job on Wednesday, but the battle likely boils down to whether Eric Rowe can unseat Nolan Carroll atop the depth chart.

When spring workouts began, Carroll was running with the first-team defense, which some may think a surprise development. However, it's not uncommon for head coach Chip Kelly to force rookies to earn their spot, so don't think Rowe isn't in the running for the job.

Kelly went out of his way to praise Carroll for an excellent offseason, telling Reuben Frank for CSNPhilly.com the seventh-year veteran has been doing "an unbelievable job." That being said, Carroll didn't look like the solution in his lone start for the Eagles last season.

The results on the field are why you have to believe Rowe will have every opportunity to win. That being said, the Utah product lined up at cornerback for just one of his four collegiate seasons, so it's difficult to project whether he's ready to start in the NFL from Day 1.

After all, a starting cornerback job is a huge role to entrust to a rookie. Carroll may not be anything special, but he is experienced. Rowe may have to impress to wrestle the vet out of his spot.

1. Quarterback

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Naturally, a quarterback competition is always going to be the most crucial position battle to watch at training camp.

The reality is the job is Sam Bradford's to lose. The Eagles traded Nick Foles and draft compensation to the St. Louis Rams to acquire Bradford. They're paying him nearly $13 million this season. Obviously, the goal is to have him under center.

Of course, much of the reason Bradford was available in the first place is injury. The sixth-year veteran is still recovering from a torn ACL and wasn't a full participant at practice as of June.

If Bradford isn't ready to go in time for opening day, the Eagles will have no qualms going with Mark Sanchez. Sanchez started eight games for Philadelphia last season and showed he can keep the ship afloat at least.

It all comes down to Bradford's health. The assumption here is the Eagles are simply being cautious and he'll be fine. But if Bradford struggles or suffers a setback this summer, camp could get very interesting.