Predicting the Winner of the New York Jets' Biggest Training-Camp Battles

When the New York Jets take the field for training camp this summer, their starting roster will look a lot more stable than it did last year at this time. 

Thanks to their offseason moves—which included fortifying the top of the depth chart at wide receiver and cornerback and the bottom of the depth chart on the offensive line and at running back—the Jets have the look of a much more competitive team in 2015 than the one that took the field just 12 months ago.

Ultimately, though, their actual level of competitiveness will depend on the kind of performance they get at the quarterback position—which has been the shakiest position on the roster for years and appears to once again be the shakiest position on the roster in 2015.

Though the quarterback battle will likely steal most of the headlines, plenty of other battles could steal the show. With help from some observations in spring practices, we can already get a feel for which players will come out on top in those battles. 

Backup Running Back

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Winner: Zac Stacy

The Jets gave up a seventh-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for running back Zac Stacy, which tells you how little the Jets were willing to give up for him and how much the Rams wanted to get rid of him. 

With Chris Ivory and Stevan Ridley already on the roster, the Jets appeared to already have more than enough power backs to fill out the depth chart; however, Ridley is still battling back from a torn ACL that ended his 2014 season. As of June 11, he was not willing to commit to being back to 100 percent for the start of training camp, according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com. 

There's a chance, then, that Ridley could start the season (or at the very least, training camp) on the physically unable to perform list. If that's the case, he would not count against the Jets' 53-man roster limit.

Stacy has not been effective in his first two seasons in the league, with 326 carries for 1,266 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns in his two-year career. He was the bell cow for the Rams in 2013 before being replaced by rookie Tre Mason in 2014. Stacy became completely expendable once the Rams drafted Todd Gurley with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

If Ridley is 100 percent healthy for training camp, this battle could amount to something. For now, though, Stacy is likely to see the bulk of the opportunities as the top between-the-tackles backup to Ivory. 

Starting Left Outside Linebacker

Julio Cortez/Associated Press/Associated Press

Rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (above) has all the tools to be a missing piece in the Jets' defense.

Winner: Lorenzo Mauldin

The Jets didn't use a third-round pick on Lorenzo Mauldin to watch him gather dust on the bench. Ultimately, they want him to be a cornerstone for the future of their defense. For now, only Calvin Pace stands in his way.

It will be a long time before the rookie Mauldin ever matches the experience of the 34-year-old 12-year veteran; however, the Jets can't wait for that time to come before trusting Mauldin in the starting role. The 6'4", 260-pound edge defender has the versatility to line up as either a 3-4 outside linebacker or a 4-3 defensive end.

He's not developed enough in his pass-rushing skills to be considered elite in that category. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein remarked that Mauldin "doesn't dip and turn corner as tightly as you would like for a 3-4 edge-rusher," but he could develop that skill over time.

For now, his "straight-line burst upfield to quarterback" and ability to "stick a foot in the ground and change direction quickly to beat tackles inside" should be enough to help him get after the quarterback. 

For years, the Jets have been searching for a more athletic option at outside linebacker. It appears they've finally found one. Why bother wasting any time in getting his feet wet? 

Starting Right Guard

Tony Tribble/Associated Press

Winner: Oday Aboushi

Presumably, the Jets signed James Carpenter to $5 million guaranteed contract because they wanted him to be a starter at left guard. He may not have been a perfect fit in the Seattle Seahawks' zone-blocking scheme, but who could blame him?

At 6'5" and 321 pounds, it makes perfect sense that he's not as good when asked to move from side to side as he would be when asked to take on his man head-on. Thus, he may be a better fit for the man-on-man blocking assignments he'll see with the Jets.

The right guard spot, however, is much more open for competition. 

That's where Oday Aboushi, Brian Winters, Willie Colon and Jarvis Harrison will all duke it out for the starting honor on the offensive line.

Winters has won a starting job the past two years in training camp, and Colon has been a starting right guard for the Jets for the past two seasons, but both men could be on their way out of the starting lineup in 2015. Aboushi took over when Winters went down with a torn ACL last year. Aboushi didn't tear up the scene at guard, but he played well enough to be considered the front-runner headed into camp this year.

Aboushi may not be a dominant starter right away, but he has more long-term upside than the other options. According to Pro Football Focus, he had seven games with a positive grade in 2014 and six games with a negative grade; if he can level out his play and become more consistent, he should seal up the job. 

No. 3 Cornerback

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Cornerback Buster Skrine (41, above) has the inside track to start in the slot for the Jets.

Winner: Buster Skrine

With Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie at the top of the depth chart, everyone else is competing for spot Nos. 3-5 at cornerback. After the Jets signed Buster Skrine to a four-year deal with $13 million guaranteed, it would be a surprise if he did not end up with the starting job in the slot.

He is not an ideal fit for head coach Todd Bowles' aggressive scheme that relies on a heavy dose of man coverage. He only allowed 56.7 percent completions in 2013-14, but opponents completed 17 touchdowns into his coverage, per Pro Football Focus. He did notch 23 pass breakups in that period, but at 5'9" and 188 pounds playing an aggressive man-coverage scheme, he would have a big bull's-eye on his back.

The same could be said for anyone playing along with Revis and Cromartie, but Skrine has been in that position before and may be the most mentally equipped to handle it. 

Others will be competing for playing time. Dexter McDougle and Dee Milliner are coming back from season-ending injuries, but both men could factor into the battle for snaps in the slot or on the boundary. So, too, could Marcus Williams and Darrin Walls.

Skrine is the known commodity and should get first dibs on those opportunities. Depending on how he does in that role, the Jets could continue to let him play or look to other options. 

Quarterback

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Jets quarterbacks Geno Smith (7, right) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (14, left) will be in a battle for the starting job at quarterback...kind of.

Winner: Geno Smith

It seems that every Jets coach has a different outlook on whether there will be a battle for the starting job at quarterback. On one hand, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has already proclaimed Geno Smith the starting signal-caller. On the other hand, head coach Todd Bowles says that there will be a competition, but that the job is Smith's to lose and Ryan Fitzpatrick's to take. 

Bowles' word choice is telling and suggests that Smith would have to play abysmally in the summer to lose the job—or Fitzpatrick would have to succeed on stratospheric levels in order to take the job away from the incumbent. 

Thanks to their mobility and experience in spread offenses as well as experience working out of the shotgun, both Smith and Fitzpatrick are considered fits for Gailey's system. Smith ran a similar offense at West Virginia, and Fitzpatrick was the signal-caller for Gailey's offense when the two were together with the Buffalo Bills. 

The Jets offense is loaded with enough receivers to make the starting signal-caller look his best, no matter who it is. Thanks to his youth and his status as the incumbent, it looks like this job should go to Smith. That being said, no one knows what the regular season will bring—Smith's potential failure could mean an opportunity for Fitzpatrick to succeed in a new setting. 

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced stats obtained via Pro Football Focus' premium section. All quotes obtained via team news release. All salary cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap.