Under-the-Radar NFL Training Camp Battles to Watch

The 2015 NFL training camp season is officially here, which means it's time to sit back, relax and watch hundreds of players sweat, grind and fight for their NFL lives.

This should probably make us feel more than a little lazy. 

Some training camp battles are high-profile affairs, while others simply aren't headline material. But just because a camp competition isn't making the front page doesn't mean it won't make a big impact on the coming season.

Even a battle at left guard doesn't can be incredibly important, regardless of SportsCenter placement.

Those are the types of competitions, likely to affect the 2015 season, that we are looking at here. They are for starting jobs or significant roles, but you aren't going to see any marquee positions (i.e. quarterback) listed in the following pages.

Chargers' Backup RB Battle

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Unless something really unexpected happens, the San Diego Chargers appear likely to lean heavily on rookie running back Melvin Gordon this season.

However, Gordon isn't going to be the only running back opposing defenses are going to have to worry about in 2015. According to Hayley Elwood of the team's official website, head coach Mike McCoy has made it clear that San Diego will use a backfield committee. 

That committee is likely to include both Branden Oliver and Danny Woodhead.

Whichever player becomes the primary backup will probably have a significant workload and a real impact on San Diego's upcoming season.

Woodhead, who missed all but three games in 2014 with a broken leg, would seem to be the top candidate to back up Gordon this season. When healthy in 2013, he caught 76 passes and totaled 1,034 rushing and receiving yards.

Oliver, however, can't be counted out. He caught 36 passes last season and produced 853 combined yards.

The battle between these two should be a lot of fun, though you can expect Gordon to receive most of the attention in training camp.

Ravens' Return Specialist Competition

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens were rated fifth overall in the special teams department by Pro Football Focus. A big part of the team's success on special teams can be attributed to return specialist Jacoby Jones, whom Baltimore released this offseason.

Kick returners don't always get a ton of love, but the Ravens are definitely going to miss Jones. He averaged a respectable 9.2 yards per punt return and 30.6 yards per kickoff return. Interestingly, his averages were 9.2 and 30.7 during his Pro Bowl campaign of 2012.

Without Jones, the Ravens have a legitimate question mark at returner. Options to replace him include wideout Michael Campanaro, cornerback Lardarius Webb, undrafted rookie receiver DeAndre Carter and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint.

According to Garrett Downing of the team's official site, 15-year veteran Steve Smith has even been seen fielding punts during offseason practices.

"Everybody is getting reps, and we are doing that right now,” special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said, relayed by Downing. “We’ll find out who does it best in those camp situations and go from there, and then divvy up the reps for the preseason games with the guys we think are doing the best in practice.”

Finding the right return man will be important because the Ravens play in the tightly contested AFC North and will need to separate themselves from the pack any way possible.

Panthers' Wide Receiver Battle

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers locked up quarterback Cam Newton this offseason with a new five-year, $103.8 million extension.

Now the Panthers have to figure out which weapons will best allow Newton to earn that money with on-field success.

Only one wide receiver caught more than 50 passes or produced more than 600 yards last season. That was then-rookie Kelvin Benjamin (73 receptions for 1,008 yards). He can be inked in at one starting receiver spot.

The other outside receiver spot is more of a question mark. Veteran Jerricho Cotchery would probably be the starter today, but he recently turned 33 and is likely in the twilight of his career. Rookie second-round pick Devin Funchess is an intriguing 6'5" prospect, but he is completely unproven as a pro.

After Cotchery and Funchess, there isn't a lot to get excited about. Ted Ginn Jr. is a better return man than a receiver, while Corey Brown and Jarrett Boykin combined for just 24 receptions a season ago.

If Funchess doesn't develop quickly and earn a starting job, this could again be an underwhelming receiver corps.

"He was impressive during OTAs," David Newton of ESPN.com recently wrote of Funchess. "But this will be his first real test under fire. Funchess needs to be a big contributor for Carolina’s receiving corps to take a big leap forward."

Cleveland's Cornerback Competition

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The word best is rarely used when describing anything about the Cleveland Browns. However, the Browns could actually be fielding the league's best secondary in 2015.

Last year, cornerback Joe Haden and safeties Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson were all named to the Pro Bowl (Whitner as an alternate). During the offseason, Cleveland added Tramon Williams, who was ranked 41st out of 230 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2014, to be the No. 2 corner opposite Haden.

The four starting spots appear set, but there will be competition between K'Waun Williams, Justin Gilbert, Pierre Desir and rookie Charles Gaines to be the third cornerback.

Williams spent much of 2014 as the team's nickelback, and he performed well. Pro Football Focus actually rated him 13th overall among all cornerbacks. However, either Gilbert or Desir could take the job from him with superior play. They could probably even take the No. 2 job if they show enough in training camp.

If the Browns can find improvement at one or more cornerback positions, we could be talking about a truly elite secondary, which might even be enough to make Cleveland a legitimate playoff contender in 2015.

“We have potential to definitely be the best secondary in the league,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil said, per Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. “We have to prove it every year. And the best secondaries in my opinion are usually playing in January.”

Eagles' No. 2 Wide Receiver Competition

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

We know that, barring injury, Sam Bradford is going to quarterback the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. What we don't know exactly is which receivers are going to round out his collection of targets.

Jeremy Maclin is gone, so second-year wideout Jordan Matthews (67 receptions for 872 yards in 2014) probably moves into the No. 1 receiver spot. Rookie first-round pick Nelson Agholor will likely earn significant playing time as well, provided he makes a quick NFL transition.

Reuben Frank of CSN Philly even believes Matthews and Agholor can soon become the best receiver tandem in Eagles history.

Of course, Agholor is going to have to battle veterans such as Riley Cooper, Miles Austin and Josh Huff in order to earn a chance at starting as a rookie. He may start out in the slot, which means the Eagles are going to have to find the right guy to be the No. 2.

Finding the best receiver lineup is going to be an important task in Eagles camp. As explosive as the Philadelphia offense looked in 2014, it wasn't as efficient as one might think. Pro Football Focus rated the Eagles just 23rd in passing efficiency.

If Philadelphia can field a better receiving corps than it did last season, this could become a truly scary offense.

Detroit's Defensive Line Battle

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The Detroit Lions face the difficult task of replacing two top-tier defensive tackles now that Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley are no longer members of the team.

Former Baltimore Ravens standout Haloti Ngata will likely fill in at one defensive tackle spot. However, the other tackle position in Detroit's 4-3 base is up for grabs.

Caraun Reid returned to the team, and the Lions signed free agent Tyrunn Walker and drafted Gabe Wright during the offseason. It's hard to believe that any one of the three will be able to perform at a Suh-like level, but the Lions remain optimistic.

A lot will be on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

"There's plenty of talent there and it will be defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's job to maximize it," Justin Rogers of MLive.com recently wrote. "He showed an ability to consistently get the most out of his players last season, and if he can replace Suh with minimal drop-off in production, it should be enough to land Austin a head coaching gig in 2016."

Detroit had the league's best run defense (69.3 yards per game allowed) and third-best scoring defense (17.6 points per game allowed) in 2014. If the Lions hope to be similarly successful in 2015, they had better find the right fit on the defensive line.

Titans' Wide Receiver Battle

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Plenty of people will be paying attention to Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota in training camp this year. However, the competition to be the guys catching Mariota's passes isn't likely to elicit as much excitement.

Kendall Wright, Hakeem Nicks, Harry Douglas, Jacoby Ford and rookies Tre McBride and Dorial Green-Beckham will all be vying for a role. Third-year wideout Justin Hunter is probably also in the mix, though an offseason arrest could cloud his immediate future.

Green-Beckham is probably the guy fans will be most excited to see in camp. He is an athletic freak at 6'5" and 225 pounds, but he is incredibly raw and comes with off-field concerns. He has the tools to develop into a true No. 1 receiver. But it will likely take time, and Green-Beckham will have to stay out of trouble to do it.

It will likely be up to the veterans to take charge of the receiver group heading into the season.

Pro Football Focus rated the Titans just 29th in passing offense for 2014, which is why the team took steps to upgrade the group during the offseason.

"Eight of the 12 wide receivers who will open training camp are new to the team," David Climer of the Tennessean recently wrote. "The Titans fortified the position through free agency and the draft, securing veterans Douglas, Nicks and Ford while drafting Green-Beckham and McBride." 

Turning the new additions and old faces into a cohesive unit will be imperative if the Titans wish to give Mariota a smooth transition into the NFL.

Bengals' Cornerback Competition

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The competition at cornerback in Cincinnati Bengals camp is going to be interesting because it could result in a pair of young defenders finally coming into their own.

In 2012, the Bengals used a first-round draft pick on cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. Last year, the team used a first-round pick on Darqueze Dennard. The two players have just five professional starts between them, but they will likely be needed in 2015.

Former starter Terence Newman left to join the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, and Leon Hall is coming off of one of the more disappointing seasons of his career. Pro Football Focus rated him just 136th overall among cornerbacks in 2014.

There will be at least one starting spot up for grabs over the next few weeks and possibly two if Hall continues to struggle.

"I think everybody realized this is an opportunity," Dennard told the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com) in late July. "Everybody has kicked it up a notch and started going harder in the offseason workouts knowing that opportunity is there and trying to go grab it."

Also vying for playing time at cornerback will be veteran Adam Jones and rookie fourth-round pick Josh Shaw.

Dallas' Guard Battle

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Rookie Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman La'el Collins made plenty of headlines earlier this offseason because he went from being a potential first-round draft pick to a free agent over the course of a few days.

However, his fight to earn a starting job with the Cowboys may not get a ton of coverage because Dallas already had one of the league's best offensive lines without him. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys line was rated third overall in pass protection and second in run blocking in 2014.

However, Collins will have an opportunity to make the team even better if he can win a starting job.

According to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News, Collins has been working at guard this offseason and could unseat starting left guard Ron Leary.

Leary was a liability in pass protection last season and was rated just 124th overall among guards in that category by Pro Football Focus. He was rated fifth overall in run blocking, however, which means Collins will have to excel in both areas to have any real chance of starting.

If Collins does succeed and relegate Leary to backup duty, then the Dallas line is likely to become an intimidating unit.

Patriots' Cornerback Competition

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The New England Patriots lost starting cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner during free agency, which has created a huge void in the secondary of the defending Super Bowl champions.

This is probably the closest thing on this list to a high-profile competition, though it has been largely overshadowed by the Great Deflated-Football Debacle of 2015.

With Browner and Revis out of the picture, New England is likely to rely on some combination of Justin Green, Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler. Rookie Darryl Roberts could also be in the mix, and the Patriots recently added free agent Tarell Brown as well.

Though it is difficult to envision this year's group of defensive backs being as dominant as last year's (New England was ranked third overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus), there is at least room for hope.

According to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, the cornerbacks have shown promise during the early stages of training camp.

This is obviously an important competition for a Patriots team that may be forced to defend its crown without star quarterback Tom Brady for the first month of the season.