New Orleans Saints: 5 Most Crucial Training-Camp Position Battles to Watch

Only a week remains until the New Orleans Saints report to training camp at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on July 29, and multiple position battles are expected to take place when workouts begin.

New Orleans, which fine-tuned its roster after last year’s disappointing 7-9 season, will look to re-emerge as a playoff contender in 2015.

The Saints executed a major shake-up of their defensive personnel in the months following the 2014 season, and several newcomers will attempt to catch coach Sean Payton's eye and work their way into the starting lineup.

On offense, the biggest move of the offseason was the surprising trade of star tight end Jimmy Graham, although other significant changes should make for a competitive atmosphere in training camp.

In the following slideshow, we’ll take a look at some of these position battles, several of which could last for the entirety of training camp and well into the preseason.

5. Kicker

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The kicker position often gets lost in the shuffle, but in reality, it holds a great deal of importance.

Gone is veteran Shayne Graham, who handled New Orleans’ kicking duties in 2014.

Vying to fill his shoes this season are Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker, both of whom are quite green at this point in their professional careers. In fact, neither has attempted a kick in an NFL game.

The strong-legged Hopkins was an All-American at Florida State before the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the sixth round in 2013. He was unable to earn the starting job as a rookie, and a year later, he was released just before the season began. New Orleans signed him near the end of the 2014 season.

Hocker, meanwhile, was a seventh-round pick of the Washington Redskins in 2014, but he was also served his walking papers just a week before the start of the season. After he made a short stop with the Miami Dolphins, the Saints picked him up last May.

This position battle may not receive as much attention as the others, but it will nonetheless be a crucial one. The outcome of any given game could potentially rest on the foot of the kicker, and consequently, the coaching staff will be closely observing this battle throughout the duration of camp.

4. Wide Receiver

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Heading into training camp, Marques Colston and Brandin Cooks are penciled in as the Saints' top two wide receivers. After that, the depth chart is clouded with uncertainty.

Not only is the No. 3 wideout position yet to be determined, but the No. 4 and No. 5 spots are also up for grabs, and a slew of candidates have emerged.

At the beginning of training camp, three veterans will likely get a hard look from the coaching staff for the No. 3 spot. Joe Morgan, Nick Toon and Josh Morgan all have considerable experience under their belts, and this should benefit all three as they look to earn playing time.

Joe Morgan provides New Orleans with a legitimate deep threat. He’s averaged more than 33 yards per reception during his time with the Saints, and his ability to stretch the field vertically should help his cause in this competition.

The 6'4" Toon, meanwhile, gives quarterback Drew Brees a sizable target in the short-to-intermediate passing game. His career got off to a slow start, but he came on strong during the back end of last season, catching 17 passes for 215 yards over the last six games.

Then there’s Josh Morgan, who hauled in 78 receptions for 794 yards and three touchdowns over the past three seasons, the latest of which was spent with the Chicago Bears.

As if this competition wasn’t already wide open, a couple of second-year wideouts could also fight their way into the mix.

Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones both joined the Saints as undrafted free agents in 2014. Both spent the majority of last season on the practice squad, but they made waves during OTAs as players who were vastly improved. It won’t be a shock if either one, or both, earns significant playing time this season.

Jalen Saunders, Willie Snead and undrafted rookie R.J. Harris are some other names to remember in this crowded race, and they’ll all be looking to make an impact when practices get underway.

The wide receiver position clearly doesn’t lack for competition, and this battle should be one of the more intriguing at training camp.

3. Offensive Tackle

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New Orleans entered the offseason with two capable tackles in 23-year-old Terron Armstead and nine-year veteran Zach Strief.

The Saints opted to bring in more help at the position, however, when they made former Stanford standout Andrus Peat their first pick (No. 13 overall) in the draft.

Peat is capable of playing on either side, but his more natural position is at right tackle. If he starts out there, this would create a position battle with Strief, who enjoyed a fine season last year.

Strief has admitted that he’ll eventually relinquish the spot to the talented rookie, and he told Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate back in May: "He’s taking my job eventually. My job and my role is to make that take as long as possible."

The 31-year-old Strief is a fierce competitor when he steps between the lines, and it's clear he won’t give up his starting spot without a fight.

In the event the rookie does beat out Strief in training camp, it’s safe to say that New Orleans will have upgraded an already solid position.

2. Nickel Cornerback

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One of the most significant training-camp position battles figures to take place at the nickel corner spot.

After the Saints secondary struggled throughout the 2014 season, New Orleans brought in veteran cornerback Brandon Browner. The 30-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion will start on the outside opposite Keenan Lewis, thus giving the Saints two formidable starting corners.

The nickel position isn’t nearly as certain, however, as a host of newcomers are looking to get onto the field.

One of the leading candidates to nab the spot is offseason acquisition Delvin Breaux. A highly rated high school recruit out of New Orleans, the former LSU signee suffered a neck injury during his senior year in 2006, and he never played a down of college football.

After making a full recovery, Breaux spent some time in the Arena Football League with the New Orleans VooDoo, before working his way up to the CFL. As a Hamilton Tiger-Cat, he quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s top cover men. This offseason, he signed with the Saints.

The 6’1” cover man apparently made quite the impression during summer workouts, as he ran with the first-team defense at nickel corner during minicamp.

Breaux’s chief competition could be fellow newcomer Kyle Wilson. The five-year veteran has the decided advantage in terms of in-game experience, as he saw plenty of action at the nickel spot for his previous team, the New York Jets.

A former first-round pick, Wilson never quite developed into the lockdown cover man the Jets were hoping he would become. A change of scenery sometimes works wonders in the NFL, however, and Wilson may finally turn the corner in New Orleans.

Another candidate is 2015 third-round pick P.J. Williams. Granted, the rookie has a tough row to hoe if he’s to beat out Breaux and Wilson right off the bat, but he doesn’t lack for talent, which is a good starting point. Even if he doesn’t win this battle, the former Florida State standout could eventually work his way onto the field as the dime corner.

Fifth-round pick Damian Swann could be a wild card in this race, as the rookie from Georgia complements his press-man cover skills with unrelenting physicality in run support.

The battle for the nickel corner position will likely be an intense competition, and it could last throughout the preseason.

1. Inside Linebacker

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Insider linebacker is another crucial position that underwent big change this offseason, as the Saints released three-year starting “Mike” linebacker Curtis Lofton.

New Orleans, which gave up far too many big plays in the running game last season, used its second first-round draft pick on Clemson middle ‘backer Stephone Anthony. With the addition of the 6’3", 245-pounder, the Saints became both younger and more athletic at the position.

While Anthony is the future at this spot, cracking the starting lineup as a rookie won’t be easy, as he’ll have to beat out David Hawthorne.

The seven-year veteran out of TCU started alongside Lofton last year, piling up 83 tackles to go with three sacks and an interception. He's a safe bet to begin camp as the starter at the "Mike" position, having already occupied the spot during summer workouts. Hawthorne also played in the middle during his stint with the Seattle Seahawks from 2008-2011.

To his credit, Anthony holds a decided advantage in both speed and athleticism, and it’s only a matter of time before he picks up coordinator Rob Ryan’s scheme. Look for the rookie to claim the position at some point in 2015, but it’s not a given that the change will occur in training camp.