Every NFL Team's Most Hotly Contested Position Battles During the 2011 Preseason

With 22 starters to identify for every NFL team there is usually one or two starting jobs that are open for competition during the preseason. Whether it is caused by a free-agency departure, an unexpected injury or a veteran not recovering from a prior surgery, there are a wide number of reasons as to why a starting job is not finally decided until the final week of the preseason.

We will take a look across the league to analyze the starting position, or positions, that are most up in the air for each NFL team.

Arizona Cardinals

According to the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Cardinals are still trying to figure out who will be the other starting wide receiver opposite Larry Fitzgerald. Candidates for the job right now include Andre Roberts, Early Doucet and Chansi Stuckey.

Of course, the Cardinals could always give Terrell Owens a call, as he should be ready to go around Week 1. It's about time he returned to the NFC West.

According to Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt, he doesn't mind if he takes a committee approach to the job. Maybe he will just wind up playing the hot hand, but I am sure each of the three receivers would like to see their name penciled in as the every week starter just the same. 

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons actually look like they have two starter battles going on, but one seems more up in the air than the other.

According to a story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it appears that the Falcons have a battle on their hands for one of the starting linebacker spots. The candidates are Mike Peterson and Stephen Nicholas. Nicholas held the job previously, but Peterson is still in consideration for the job despite being 35 years old.

The other competition is probably more decided, as Garrett Reynolds is in competition with Mike Johnson for a starting guard job. But Johnson suffered a concussion, and that has pretty much knocked him out of the running for now. This battle was created when Harvey Dahl left Atlanta in free agency.

Baltimore Ravens

We were all set to bring up the No. 2 wide receiver battle, but Ozzie Newsome deftly took care of that by trading for Lee Evans. So, we will instead switch our focus to a different position. 

The tight end job became vacated when Todd Heap left in free agency. Current candidates for that are Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. Dickson has been slowed by a hamstring problem, while Pitta took the snaps in the preseason opener and played well in the game. Can Ozzie still suit up?

There are three potential tackles in Baltimore but none of them played very great in the preseason opener against the Eagles.There is Oniel Cousins, Michael Oher and Jah Reid. The Ravens lost Jared Gaither this week via free agency, so the Ravens have to be a little concerned about the tackles poor showing. The feedback was that Reid looked slow according to the Baltimore Sun. Cousins and Oher both had a rough night, so this will continue to be a team focus over the next three preseason games.

Buffalo Bills

I can think of at least four positions where there is not a clear cut starter that has been identified yet by the Bills, no, make that five positions with the trade of Lee Evans on Friday.

We have a cornerback battle, one safety position, a wide receiver battle, a linebacker battle, and a tackle and a guard battle. Okay, make that six battles. Did we count the tight end? Alright, seven it is. Let's go ahead and run down the lucky seven. No, I messed up. I forgot about center. Make that eight. I am sure now that is the right number.

Drayton Florence should have one corner slot sewn up. The other corner boils down to veterans Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin to battle it out, with rookie Aaron Williams also ready to step in.

Jairus Byrd is one safety while the other is a fight between George Wilson, rookie Da'Norris Searcy and Bryan Scott.

The trade of Lee Evans leaves the No. 2 receiver opposite Steve Johnson to be fought over between David Nelson, Donald Jones, Marcus Easley and Craig "Buster" Davis.

The inside linebackers job opened up when Paul Posluszny left in free agency. For two inside slots, there are four prospects between Nick Barnett, Andra Davis, Reggie Torbor and rookie Kelvin Sheppard.

The starting right tackle is coming down to Erik Pears, Mansfield Wrotto or rookie Chris Hairston.

The starting right guard is looking like it is between Kraig Urbik, Chad Reinhart and Cordaro Howard.

The tight end job is between the enigma Shawn Nelson, Scott Chandler and veteran David Martin. 

The center is between Eric Wood, who moved there from guard, and the incumbent Geoff Hangartner.

It is known that Head Coach Chan Gailey and General Manager Buddy Nix likes to have competition in camp that makes everyone better as a player. Reviewing this slide, I would say the Bills have competition covered in spades. I know only because I was there at practice, watching these battles.

Carolina Panthers

Looks like we have two noticeable battles on the Panthers offense, which involve the starting quarterback job and the No. 2 wide receiver.

Obviously there are two high-profile quarterbacks that the Panthers have to pick a starter from in Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen. Is Newton truly ready based on the shortened training camp, or would it be wiser to let Clausen take the reigns in the beginning and then bow out to Newton when Head Coach Ron Rivera thinks he is ready?

An article by ESPN felt that the Panthers are hoping that Newton will be ready by Week 1, but that remains to be seen. There are preseason games to play, game plans to execute and doing it at a much different pace than what he encountered at Auburn University.

The No. 2 receiver job opened up due to injury when the Gaston Gazette tweeted that David Gettis tore his ACL and is probably now gone for the year. That leaves Brandon LaFell and Legedu Naanee to try to claim the right to start across from Steve Smith.

Chicago Bears

Two situations with the Chicago Bears are in a wait-and-see mode, while a third battle appears to be settling.

A story from the Chicago Sun Times implies that undrafted rookie free-agent wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher is gaining ground on Earl Bennett to see who wins the starting job at slot receiver.

Another potential looming battle involves Chris Spencer. The Bears are paying him quite a lot of money ($3 million) to not be part of the starting offensive line. As things stand now, the Bears guards are thought to be questionable at best, as ESPN mentions in their coverage. Spencer might need to be moved in as the starting center, and then current center Roberto Garza could replace one of the guards.

The battle that appears settled is that of wide receiver, where Roy Williams has won the starting job over Johnny Knox.

Cincinnati Bengals

It could be a long year in Cincinnati, if the preseason opener is any indication. Losing to Detroit 34-3, suggests that the Bengals have lots of work to do.

The Bengals appear to be set with their starters as we come in to the second week of preseason games. There are clearly quite a few new faces on the Bengals' startling lineups compared with how things ended in 2010.

Gone are the "Big Three" Batman, Robin and Commissioner Gordon (Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer).  They have been replaced by wide receivers A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson, and the new quarterback is rookie Andy Dalton. 

For now Dalton appears to be ahead of veteran Bruce Gradkowski. But it wasn't like Dalton came out and wowed anyone. Completing 11 passes for only 69 yards (an average of 4.6 yards per pass attempt) and a QB passer rating of 54.6 is the kind of stats found at the bottom of the NFL ranks for starting quarterbacks. Gradkowski wasn't that much better, completing six passes for 58 yards, which is an average of 5.3 yards per pass and a passer rating of 69.5.

Other new starters are linebackers Manny Lawson and Thomas Howard, and cornerback Nate Clements. Andre Smith appears to be the starter at right tackle as well.

Cleveland Browns

Who will be the starting wide receivers this year for quarterback Colt McCoy to throw to? For the two starting wideouts, there are three candidates in Josh Cribbs, Brian Robiskie and rookie Greg Little. The other main receiver, Mohamed Massaquoi, has hurt his chances by missing most of training camp due to injury.

So, it appears that it is up to the rookie Little to prove that he has the skills to beat out Robiskie for the job. There is clearly a rust factor for Little, since he sat out the entire 2010 season due to suspension at North Carolina. Little still has a problem with dropping passes, so if he can't correct that issue, he will have trouble being a reliable target for Colt McCoy.

It appears that the Browns' first two draft picks, nose tackle Phil Taylor and defensive end Jabaal Sheard, have both been inserted into the starting lineup already. Another new starter appears to be right guard Shaun Lauvao, as per an article by Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have some battles that will be ongoing in camp, and some to have recently been settled.

The third receiver role appears headed for a showdown between rookie receiver Dwayne Harris and Kevin Ogletree. Harris made a pretty loud statement by catching five passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason opener.

On the offensive line, the Cowboys have some questions at guard, where they are evaluating rookie David Arkin and veterans Montrae Holland and Kyle Kosier. Holland has been out with some back issues, which is hurting his chances. Somebody has to step up to replace Leonard Davis.

A battle seems to be shaping up for kicker, as the Cowboys have three quality legs on the roster in Kai Forbath, David Buehler and Dan Bailey.

One recently settled starting job is at safety where Abram Elam will unseat Alan Ball. The only issue now is to determine who will be the free safety and who will be the strong safety between Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh.

Denver Broncos

When is it not worth it to lose 25 pounds? When it costs you a starting job on your football team. That is the plight of defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson, who trimmed down from 310 to 285, but watched as Marcus Thomas passed him to become the Broncos' starting defensive tackle.

There really is no battle at camp for the quarterback job, as Kyle Orton has clearly seized the job from Tim Tebow despite a relatively strong showing from Tebow in the preseason opener. As much as the media and Tebow fans would like to think that it is still a battle to see who starts, this job is already decided.

Another battle is shaping up at tight end, where Daniel Fells is having his hands full with rookie Julius Thomas, according to a story from the Denver Post. Thomas looks to be one of the major surprises at Broncos' camp.

Detroit Lions

With the various additions that the Lions made to the team via the draft and free agency, there does not appear to be many battles left to determine the 22 starting jobs.

One position that is somewhat up in the air involves Nick Fairley, as nobody knows for sure if the stress fracture in his foot will be healed in time to start the season opener.

The Lions went from having a potentially deep offensive backfield to one that now has some question marks in a relatively short time span. Lions rookie Mikel Leshoure is now gone for the year due to tearing his left Achilles' tendon. The candidates to back up starter Jahvid Best are Jerome Henderson and Mike Bell. In the preseason opener against the Bengals, the pair racked up 13 yards in 11 carries. The Detroit Free Press did not have many impressive things to say about the Lions' running game.

Maybe the Lions will find a waiver wire gift closer at the start of the regular season.

At least Matthew Stafford is healthy and he looked very good against the Bengals. So there is that. But before Lions fans get carried away, there is the tackle situation to be concerned with. Jeff Backus has a pectoral injury and Gosder Cherilus has a knee injury, so it is up in the air how ready the pair of tackles will be for September 11th. The health of Stafford hangs in the balance.

Green Bay Packers

There doesn't appear to be many major battles in the Green Bay Packers training camp. The Packers didn't need to dip into free agency, since they had so many injured players returning to the team from their 2010 Super Bowl winning team.

One situation that bears keeping an eye on is at starting running back where the veteran Ryan Grant is trying to hold off James Starks. Starks looked impressive at the end of the 2010 season, as well as in the playoffs. It is hard to judge what the Packers will do or how good Grant is playing based off of the brief outing he had in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Staying on the running backs, the other question is who will the Packers go to on third downs? With Brandon Jackson now in Cleveland, the battle to replace him comes down to John Kuhn, Starks and rookie Alex Green according to an article from Fox Sports. 

Finally, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says that there is some degree of competition at outside linebacker, where three players are auditioning to become the starter. The three candidates are Brad Jones, Frank Zombo and Erik Walden, for the right to line up opposite of Clay Matthews.

Houston Texans

Many experts felt that second-round rookie Brooks Reed was going to fight Connor Barwin for a starting linebacker job, but that is not the case. Barwin is well on his way to locking up the job.

It seems that there is a hamstring injury epidemic that is striking the Texans' running back committee. So far, Steve Slaton, Arian Foster and Ben Tate are all dealing with hamstring issues. No telling yet how this will impact opening day lineups and who will be viewed as the backup to Foster, but it is strange that this happened to all three backs. Derrick Ward will also figure in with the trio of backs.

Another situation to watch is a battle at cornerback where James Allen has been making an impression on the coaching staff, so Kareem Jackson will need to step up his play in turn.

Indianapolis Colts

One surprising battle in camp is for the short-yardage specialist back. The two candidates now are draft pick Delone Carter and undrafted rookie free agent Darren Evans. The job could literally be handed to either player, but that is a decision that has yet to be made.

The Colts are hoping that Peyton Manning's neck injury heals fast, because the quality of his backups is noticeably lacking. Colts QBs Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky did not turn in a good outing in the first preseason game, so one of them will need to step up to win the No. 2 QB  battle. If Manning ever goes down for an extended period, the Colts could be in serious trouble, according to a NFL.com article. 

The Indianapolis Star says that Devin Moore is winning the kick return-specialist battle over Chad Spann and David Gilreath, based on the feedback from the game on Saturday evening.

One last battle is at linebacker. The opening was the result of Clint Session going to the Jaguars. The starter will either be Ernie Sims or Kavell Conner.

Jacksonville Jaguars

According to a story in the Florida Times Union, there is one battle at camp to watch. Courtney Greene is and rookie Chris Prosinski will battle it out for the Jaguars' starting strong safety job. It is expected that Greene will probably win the job, while Prosinski makes his mark via special teams.

Another battle is going on for slot receiver. That is between rookie WR Cecil Shorts and Jarett Dillard.

Most of the Jaguars open jobs turned out to be filled via free agency, as the Jaguars brought in outside talent ranging from linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session, safety Dawan Landry, cornerback Drew Coleman, guard Jason Spitz and center Matt Turk.

There does not appear much of a battle right now at quarterback, as the learning curve for Blaine Gabbert is just too steep. Down the road is a different story, but to begin 2011, there is no issue. The starter will be David Garrard.

Kansas City Chiefs

Who will be the Chiefs' left tackle this year? For right now, the job appears to be Branden Albert's, but if Jared Gaither can get in shape, he might win the job, which would ultimately bump Albert over to the right side of the line.

Jonathan Baldwin has been a disappointment so far at camp. He was drafted with a high pick to be a starter, but right now he is viewed as more a fourth receiver behind Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jerheme Urban. Baldwin needs to turn it up, or Chiefs' management will be blasted for making the reach on him. The Chiefs have a surplus of receivers now in camp, totaling 11 by last count.

Some people may think that there is still a battle of sorts at running back between Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles. During the second half of 2010, Jones carried the ball 108 times, while Charles had 117 touches. The reality is that the difference between them is much larger than the marginal spread of carries. Jones is listed as first-team on the depth chart, but Charles is the feature back, as per the Kansas City Star.

Miami Dolphins

Matt Moore is trying his best to turn the starting quarterback into a battle with incumbent Chad Henne. Moore had a solid first preseason game, while Henne continued to have problems as he threw two interceptions. Moore needs to continue outperforming Henne in exhibition games if he seriously wants to challenge for the job, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The Dolphins must be waiting for some offensive linemen to hit the waiver wire to rise up the level of competition on the right side of the offensive line with center Mike Pouncey, guard Vernon Carey and tackle Marc Colombo. As it stands, the trio is a liability this year that the Dolphins must improve. Otherwise this could be another long year for their offense.

According to the Miami Herald, Pouncey is struggling with hiking the ball to the quarterback, and this is an extension of problems he had at Florida. Rotoworld wrote that the combination of Colombo and Carey is one of the worst strong side duos in football.

The Dolphins defense is fine, but they may need to score more off of turnovers to help the offense out with their problems.

Minnesota Vikings

One battle that probably won't be decided until the final week of preseason is for the Minnesota Vikings starting right guard role. There are a trio of candidates that are getting consideration: Anthony Herrera, Chris DeGeare and Ryan Cook. Herrera had ACL surgery and may not be ready to play by September 11th. So, that leaves DeGeare and Cook to battle it out.

There is concern about the left tackle situation as well in Minnesota. The Vikings brought in Charlie Johnson to be the new tackle, but he has been embarrassed in practice by Jared Allen. Also of concern was the drop in Phil Loadholt's play last year, according to ESPN Twin Cities.

The ongoing issues with the offensive line has to be a concern for Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder. It is curious how the Vikings did not address the needs on the line at the draft, but maybe they felt they would do better in free agency. Hopefully somebody will surface that can come in and battle the current starters to rise the overall performance level.

New England Patriots

While the starting running back job will probably be going to Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis, it won't be due to a lack of effort by rookie Stevan Ridley. Ridley had 23 touches in the preseason opener and gained 111 overall yards with a three touchdown performance.

The Patriots sat out the first-team offense in the preseason opener so Green-Ellis was rested. Rookie Shane Vereen was held out of the game due to a bad hamstring.

The Patriots appear to be set across the board, as they have brought in enough free agents to give them depth for their move to the new 4-3 scheme on defense.

The biggest battle appears to be which veteran running backs survive final cuts due to having such a glutton of backs at camp. There are six backs now including Green-Ellis, Ridley, Vereen, Sammy Morris, Danny Woodhead and Kevin Faulk. It is doubtful that the Patriots would keep six backs, so one of the veterans figure likely to go.

New Orleans Saints

Who will be the starting running back for the New Orleans Saints in 2011? Will it be the same starter in Week 1 as it will be in Week 9? Right now you would probably think that Pierre Thomas will probably open up the year as the starter, but that it would not shock anyone if rookie Mark Ingram takes the job away from him during the season.

There is also a battle for top wide receiver on the Saints offense. Lance Moore is taking advantage of Marques Colston watching practices from the sidelines due to injury to create some stronger chemistry with Drew Brees. Moore has been sizzling, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Another name to keep an eye on is second-year running back Joique Bell, who keeps turning heads in camp. Bell is hoping to take on a bigger role this year, as he was snagged off the Buffalo Bills' practice squad as a rookie last year.

New York Giants

The battle for the New York Giants third receiver is now between Domenik Hixon and Victor Cruz. For now Hixon has the edge based on a strong opening game, but is no sure thing yet.

Defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul haven't had much opportunity to allow coaches to see which one is performing better, because Umenyiora hasn't been able to practice. But Pierre-Paul sure has. He made seven tackles and two sacks in the first quarter alone. Only one of them can start, and Pierre-Paul is showing that he wants the job.

Aaron Ross might have won a starting job in the secondary by default, as opposed to winning the job due to outstanding play. First-round pick Prince Amukamara is out indefinitely due to his foot injury, and Bruce Johnson is also out due to a torn Achilles, so Ross is probably looking over his shoulder to see who else the Giants personnel department wants to bring in to camp to challenge him for the job.

New York Jets

Two weeks into training camp, and there do not appear that many battles left to sort out for the New York Jets. Sure, there will be players fighting to make the final roster, but in terms of battles for starters, most of the jobs seem to be determined already.

Coach Rex Ryan said Eric Smith is still the starting strong safety even though Brodney Pool was resigned. This is one position that could see a switch in starters during the season.

The battle for third or fourth receiver on the depth chart is boiling down to Derrick Mason versus the rookie Jeremy Kerley. Kerley has impressed the Jets, while Mason still has to prove to his new team that he still has it, following a disappointing end to his 2010 season.

The other position that could see a switch down the road is at tackle, where Wayne Hunter appears to be the starter and Vladimir Ducasse will be backing him up. Don't be surprised if Ducasse overtakes Hunter at some point during the season.

Oakland Raiders

Rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore continues to impress the coaches and players at Raiders camp. With each passing day he is inching towards securing a starting position on the team. For now, Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey are listed as the starting receivers, so Moore will have to overtake one of them to become a starter. 

Another rookie that looks like he will crack the starting lineup is C/G Stefen Wisniewski. There has been talk that Wisniewski may be moved to left guard according to the Contra Costa Times.

There still is the matter of figuring out which Raiders secondary member has the honor of trying to fill the shoes of Nnamdi Asomugha. Take a number, because there is a large pool in consideration. Chris Johnson, Jeremy Ware, Walter McFadden, DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa. For now, the lead guy appears to be Johnson, but with that many guys competing, anything can happen.

Philadelphia Eagles

Who is going to step up to be the other starting wide receiver opposite DeSean Jackson? With Steve Smith going on PUP and the illness to Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles are less than one month away from starting the season, and this question mark still remains. Perhaps somebody from the group of Jason Avant or Riley Cooper can step up to fill the void.

Then we move to the three-pronged All-Pro cornerback competition between Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha. Only two of them can start, with the third coming in for nickel and dime packages. Hopefully this will not create a problem in the locker room, but there is no doubt that the Eagles have great secondary depth.

Where they do not have great depth is at linebacker where question marks like Moise Fokou and an unproven Casey Matthews are being viewed as potential starters. Keenan Clayton may be able to challenge Fokou for the starting job as per Phily.com.

Pittsburgh Steelers

It is well known that the Steelers' offensive line is not one of their strengths, which is okay since Ben Roethlisberger is so difficult to bring down. Yet, the Steelers are trying to make the line better so one new camp battle appears to be determining who will start at right guard. The options are Tony Hillis and Ramon Foster. Foster is the incumbent but is not immune from being passed over, according to Steel City Insider.net.

The other interesting development on the offensive line is that the Steelers are probably going to start Jonathan Scott at left tackle. What is ironic about that is that Scott had trouble cracking the Buffalo Bills starting lineup, and the Bills offensive line has been quite shaky over the past decade. It is possible that  rookie Marcus Gilbert might be able to eventually challenge Scott for the job, but that would have to be sometime later in the season.

The only other battle of note is for the third wide receiver role. With Mike Wallace and Hines Ward figuring to open up the year as the starting wide receivers, the third receiver battle will boil down to Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Since Sanders is still dealing with his foot injuries, the job probably goes to Brown, with Sanders fourth and Cotchery fifth. However, there is the possibility that Ward continues to slide like he did last year, with the younger receivers leap-frogging over him.

San Diego Chargers

The slot receiver battle for the San Diego Chargers was supposed to be between Patrick Crayton and rookie Vincent Brown. The only problem is that Brown has been hurt since the first day of camp and has been a spectator ever since. His inactivity is making this a no-contest. There is also ex-Rams WR Laurent Robinson, who is hoping to challenge for snaps.

Another battle is at starting running back. Ryan Mathews has been underwhelming so far, and Mike Tolbert is in the mix for consideration, according to the San Diego Union- Tribune. A dark horse candidate is rookie Jordan Todman.

An injury and subsequent follow-up surgery to Marcus McNeill has allowed Brandyn Dombrowski to gain the coach's attention at left tackle. As long as McNeill is sidelined, Dombrowski has a chance to convince his coaches that he can handle the job for good.

San Francisco 49ers

One preseason game into his NFL head coaching career, and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh must be wondering what he got himself into. According to Comcast Sports Bay Area, the veteran starting quarterback Alex Smith might be in jeopardy of losing his job. Smith had five series to run the offense and did not get a single first down until the fifth one.

Smith came up with an absolute clunker to open up the exhibition season by completing only two of seven passes for 10 yards. As a result, Harbaugh declared that the quarterback job is now open for competition. The 49ers are planning to bring in Dante Culpepper on Monday for a workout. Rookie Colin Kaepernick showed flashes, but is not yet ready to assume the role.

Another position battle is shaping up as wide receiver Kyle Williams is playing like he wants a bigger role on the team, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Finally, there is a battle at safety between Reggie Smith and Dashon Goldson. Smith is out due to a knee injury, and Goldson has been able to impress in his absence.

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Seattle Seahawks

Is it within the realm of possibility that undrafted rookie free-agent quarterback Josh Portis could challenge either Tarvaris Jackson or Charlie Whitehurst to be in the running for the starting quarterback job? It seems unlikely, but Portis appeared to stake a claim for the job in the Seahawks preseason opener according to the Everett Herald story.

Without Portis playing so well, what about the competition between Whitehurst and Jackson? In some circles Whitehurst is also known as Check-Down Charlie, which is never a good thing. But Whitehurst looked good in the opener as well.

One battle on defense involves three candidates vying for the left defensive end job. They are Raheem Brock, Red Bryant and Kentwan Balmer.

Finally, when Olindo Mare left town, Seattle had to open the job up. Right now, it is coming down to either Jeff Reed or Brandon Coutu. 

St. Louis Rams

There is a log jam at the St. Louis Rams wide receiver position, so one battle that promises to be of interest is to see which receivers land a spot on the roster. The list includes: rookies Greg Salas and Austin Pettis, and veterans Mike Sims-Walker, Donnie Avery, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Danario Alexander and Mardy Gilyard. If that weren't enough, the Rams might re-sign Mark Clayton. Something has to give here soon. 

Another interesting battle is to determine who will be the backup at running back for Steven Jackson. The candidates for that job include Cadillac Williams, Jerious Norwood and Keith Toston.

Another potential battle occurred after the Rams signed linebacker Ben Leber away from the Vikings. According to Rotoworld, the speculation was that Leber could be moved opposite Zac Diles to compete with Na'il Diggs and Brady Poppinga for the strong side LB job.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One battle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is still to be determined. That would be for the free safety job, where the candidates will be Cody Grimm and Tanard Jackson. Jackson will be out due to suspension, so when he returns the Bucs have to decide on which guy they want to start. Grimm is returning from a broken fibula last year.

Another battle is for the the third-down running back in Tampa Bay. The two main competitors are Earnest Graham and Kregg Lumpkin. LeGarrette Blount would like to be considered for more third-down opportunities, but he struggles with blocking and his hands aren't that great.

Not sure yet if this is good news or bad news, but the Bucs have already named three of their defensive rookies as starters. Considering the limited amount of practice and and interfacing they've had with the coaching staff to date, you have to wonder how truly ready this trio is. They are linebacker Mason Foster, defensive end Adrian Clayborn and defensive end Da'Quan Bowers.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans look to have a fight on their hands for one of the linebacker spots, in this case their will linebacker. The job right now belongs to Will Witherspoon, but Gerald McRath may have the talent to snatch it away.

Another open competition is at left corner, where Jason McCourty and Alterraun Verner will be battling it out according to a story from the Nashville Tennessean.

Finally, we have a battle at another linebacker role, as rookie Colin McCarthy is hoping to earn some snaps this year as he fights with Barrett Ruud for playing time. Ruud is not as strong against the run, so if McCarthy can show stronger run support, he could actually earn more snaps than the veteran.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins tight end job should have gone to Chris Cooley, but his knee injury is not cooperating, so the starting job might actually wind up going to Fred Davis.

Nobody has won the battle yet to become the Redskins' kicker. For right now the job belongs to Graham Gano, but the Redskins are looking for someone that can come in and challenge him for the job.

Another battle is to determine which running back will be backing up Tim Hightower. The candidates are Roy Helu and Ryan Torain.

Finally, we end our presentation with one last battle, which is who will become the starting quarterback at Washington? Rex Grossman made a statement in the preseason opener, when he completed 19-of-26 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. John Beck sat out the game, so he will need to get back soon to prove that the job is his.