NFL Preseason 2010: Top Wide Receiver Battles

In football, every one of the 22 positions on the field is subject to competition and scrutiny, especially in the days and weeks leading up to the first regular season game.

Of all those battles, perhaps none garner more attention than or are quite as intense–for the players involved as well as the sheer number of them–as those that occur at wide receiver.

Wide receiver has always been something of a glamour position, perhaps even more so than quarterback. Rather than bearing the burden of team leadership and providing steady guidance, wide-outs–particularly stars like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Chad "Ochocinco"–tend to be flamboyant, flapping their yappers as much as flaunting their skills on the football field.

That being said, there are plenty of intriguing clashes at wide-receiver that have yet to be resolved at NFL training camps across the country.

Here are five of the most entertaining, and potentially impactful, ones to keep an eye on.

Cincinnati Bengals: Two to Tango

What better place to start than Cincinnati?

As if having the most vocal star wide-out in the league wasn't enough, the Bengals added the volatile but eminently-talented Terrell Owens to their squad this offseason, giving quarterback Carson Palmer another dangerous weapon at his disposal.

And at his peril.

How long T.O. remains happy on the Ohio River remains to be seen.  Assuming he's been humbled by his most recent sojourn to Buffalo and gets a few more passes thrown his way than he got with the Bills, Owens should be fine.

At least until Week 3.

With that said, the Bengals' camp competition at wide-receiver extends beyond T.O. and Ochocinco.

Outside of the dazzling duo, Palmer will have plenty of other targets to throw to throughout the upcoming season.

By the looks of things, Cincy could have one of the deepest and most talented crops of wide-outs in the NFL this year.

Buoyed by the likes of Andre Caldwell (51 catches, three TDs in 2009), Antonio Bryant (39 catches, four TDs in 2009), and Big 12 rookie rivals Jordan Shipley of Texas(a Wes Welker clone) and Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma, head coach Marvin Lewis has one of the most cut-throat catch competitions in the league to chaperon.

And, thanks to T.O. and the Ocho, one of the most fascinating, as well.

Baltimore Ravens: From Absence to Abundance

Speaking of teams adding star-power at wide-receiver...

Since the drafting of Joe Flacco in 2008, Baltimore's offense has emerged from the shadows of Ray Lewis and the D, and blossomed into a veritable strength of the team.

Accelerating that development, enter Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth.

Coming over from Arizona, Boldin gives the Ravens something they've lacked ever since Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore–a star, number-one-quality receiver. Five 1,000-yard seasons, including 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns last year, verify Boldin's value as a top-quality target for Flacco.

Beyond Boldin, the receiver battle in Baltimore gets more interesting.

While veteran Derrick Mason should retain a spot as Flacco's second option, the battle between Mark Clayton and Stallworth–who is making his return to the NFL after a league-induced hiatus following an admission of guilt to vehicular manslaughter charges–should make for quite a slugfest at the slot.

Oh, and franchise favorite Todd Heap is still hauling in passes at tight end.

This could all be rendered moot if the new guys get knocked out by Ray-Ray and Friends in practice.

Arizona Cardinals: Reloading Routes

The Ravens' gain is the Cardinals' loss, with the two-headed monster at wide-receiver of Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald now whittled down to one.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of candidates to step up and fill the void created by Boldin's departure.

The battle for the number-two spot boils down to two hopefuls–Steve Breaston and Early Doucet.

With three years of experience and a 1,000-yard season under his belt, Breaston is undoubtedly the favorite to take over as Fitzgerald's biggest beneficiary. His pedigree coming out of Michigan (a.k.a. Wide-Out U) and his past performace bode well for him as the likely successor.

But don't count out Doucet, a talented receiver out of LSU who, in limited snaps over the past two seasons, has impressed the Cardinals with his speed and route-running ability. While Doucet will fill a different niche than Breaston–slot instead of wide–he has the potential to siphon off a fair number of catches from his cleat-filling colleague.

Assuming Matt Leinart is able to step up and commanding the Cardinals' passing attack the way Arizona hoped he would coming out of USC.

Dallas Cowboys: Miles to Go

Like the Cardinals, Tony Romo and the Cowboys have no doubt who their go-to guy will be. Following a breakout season in which he accrued 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns, Miles Austin will see plenty of balls thrown his way in 2010.

Who Romo will be targeting on the other side of the field is a different, and much more uncertain, story.

Roy Williams entered training camp as the starter opposite Austin by default, having struggled to live up to expectations following his move from Detroit in 2008.

That's not to say Williams' performance has been entirely underwhelming. He racked up seven touchdowns and nearly 600 yards with Romo and Co. last season.

Still, his inability to step up and become the outstanding deep-threat that Dallas hoped he would be has left the door open for precocious rookie Dez Bryant to take over.

Coming off his junior season at Oklahoma State, during which he was ruled ineligible for failing to fully disclose his interaction with mentor and Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders, Bryant has a lot to prove.

And not because he's a rookie.

Though his talent is undeniable, Bryant's history of misconduct and volatility raised red flags around the league leading up to this past spring's draft, resulting in his drop to the 24th overall pick after being projected as a top-10 talent.

Not that Romo and the 'Boys haven't dealt with mercurial stars before (see Terrell Owens). Should Bryant keep himself in order, there's an excellent chance he, and not Roy Williams, will be hauling in long touchdown catches from Tony Romo for a top-quality team in Dallas this fall. 

Miami Dolphins: Marshall Law

After four seasons with the Denver Broncos, "The Beast" has made his way East to Miami.

Boy, Chad Henne must be excited.

Replacing the erratic Ted Ginn Jr., who is now in San Francisco (presumably wearing flowers in his helmet), Brandon Marshall arrived in Miami this offseason to much fanfare.

Like Boldin in Baltimore, Marshall finds himself on a team, led by an up-and-coming quarterback, where he is instantly the best receiver on the roster.

By a long shot.

With three 1,000-yard, 100-catch seasons and the NFL single-game receptions record to boot, Marshall makes the Dolphins' aerial attack a serious threat this season.

But, of course, as with any star receiver, "The Beast" brings his fair share of baggage to South Beach. Aside from suspensions for off-field transgressions, Marshall has been known to clash with his coaches–a reputation furthered by last year's butting-of-heads with rookie head coach Josh McDaniels, which ultimately led to Marshall being shipped eastward.

If Bill Parcells and the Dolphins can keep him in check and away from the NBA, Marshall should be a lock for another 100/1,000 season.

How the rest of Miami's passing game fares is where the true battle lies.  The fight for second-fiddle comes down to three sets of hands–Davone Bess', Brian Hartline's, and Greg Camarillo's–each of which caught balls for better than 500 yards in 2009.

While Bess looks to have the edge, there's no telling how the competition will shake out once spikes meet turf Week One.