NFL OTAs: Most important position battles

[RamBill]

NFL OTAs: Most important position battles
By Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-otas-most-important-position-152018764--nfl.html

With the St. Louis Rams finally joining the action, all 32 NFL teams will see what they can learn during Organized Team Activities this week.

While there is competition for starting positions in every camp, the most important battles are different with each team. For example, there is no drama over who will start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, but other clubs are acutely focused on figuring out who will be their signal-caller.

And then there are the New York Jets, who can't even figure out whether or not they have a competition at quarterback between Geno Smith and Michael Vick. Until further notice, we will say there is competition, as it should be during preseason workouts.

Correspondents for The Sports Xchange will track what is said and done at all OTAs and wrap it up Friday with a list of Stars of the Week from each team.

To help focus on key issues heading into this week's OTAs, here is a look at the most important competition for a starting position in each camp:

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Wide receiver: Tavon Austin is the featured receiver as a slot man, but the wide receiver spots are an open competition.

The wild card could be Kenny Britt, who signed a one-year, prove-it contract, and if his head is on straight, he could be the consistent every-down receiver the team needs to support quarterback Sam Bradford. Britt entered the league as a first-round pick of the Titans in 2009 when head coach Jeff Fisher was the coach in Tennessee.

Also in the hunt: Chris Givens, who regressed after a good rookie season; Brian Quick, now in his third season; and Stedman Bailey, who made strides late last year as a rookie, but will miss the first four games of the season because of a PED suspension.


ARIZONA CARDINALS

Offensive Line: The right side of the Cardinals' offensive line is still a work in progress with Bradley Sowell trying to hold off Bobby Massie for the starting tackle position and Paul Fanaika fending off Earl Watford for the starting job at guard.

Coach Bruce Arians said both position battles are going well and he noted that all four players are getting equal time working with the first units through all of the team's workouts thus far. He said the competition remains "wide open," but added that Sowell and Fanaika have slight edges simply because they have more experience at this point.

Massie continues to make some mental errors that have confounded the staff and Watford just hasn't shown enough consistency yet. The starters at right guard and tackle likely won't be named until some point during training camp.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Center: Last season, Peter Konz opened as the starter in his bid to replace the retired Todd McClure, but he failed miserably. By season's end, Joe Hawley was the starting center.

The Falcons appear set to give Konz one more chance to see if he can earn the position. During OTAs, Hawley and Konz were splitting time with the first team with Hawley getting the bulk of the action.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Free safety: The Ravens are holding a competition between rookie Terrence Brooks, their third-round draft pick from Florida State, and veterans Darian Stewart and Jeromy Miles. Brooks is regarded as the front-runner to win the job.

The Ravens also have the option of keeping Matt Elam, last year's starter, at free safety instead of moving him to his natural strong safety position.

BUFFALO BILLS

Wide receiver: The Bills revamped the receiving corps by drafting Sammy Watkins in the first round, acquiring Mike Williams in a trade with Tampa Bay, and the trading away of Stevie Johnson to San Francisco. Watkins and Williams figure to be the front-runners to win the starting outside receiver spots, and 2013 second-round choice Robert Woods has the inside track to earn the slot position.

Woods had a solid rookie season with 40 catches, 587 yards and three touchdowns, working primarily on the outside.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Left tackle: Nate Chandler vs. Byron Bell. Chandler, a converted defensive tackle who started eight games at guard last season, and Bell, who started the last three seasons at right tackle, alternated between left and right tackle throughout last Wednesday's practice.

Despite the importance, this is not considered a high-level combat. Bell admitted he has heard the doubts, but he claimed not to be bothered.

"We're going to be one of the top duo, undrafted tackles in the league," he insisted. "People are going to underestimate us. I don't care. As long as my mother loves me and God loves me, I'm good."

CHICAGO BEARS

Safety: This is a wide-open contest. With two new safeties and a different nickel corner, the secondary will take on the look of a project throughout the offseason.

During the first week of OTAs, two incumbents watched while the newcomers made inroads. Backup Craig Steltz had pectoral surgery after a season when he played 123 snaps and is not working out, while starting free safety Chris Conte had right shoulder surgery and isn't ready to practice yet. The Bears looked at free-agent pickups Ryan Mundy and M.D. Jennings at the starting safety spots.

"We approach it the same as it's going to be our starting safeties," cornerback Tim Jennings said about working with safeties unfamiliar with the defense.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Offensive line: The battle to figure out who will start at center and left guard began slowly. Mike Pollak, expected to move in as a starting center, is missing time with a knee injury. Last year's starting guard, Clint Boling, is rehabbing after an ACL tear.

That leaves Trevor Robinson as the starter at center. Andrew Whitworth temporarily moved from left tackle to guard. That is where he was at the end of last season when Boling and Kevin Zeitler were injured. Fourth-round pick Russell Bodine is running with the twos at center.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Quarterback: Brian Hoyer is holding on as the starter, but the coaches are being cautious with his rehab from an Oct. 3 ACL tear and are not letting him run 11-on-11 drills because they don't want bodies flying around him. Hoyer is on schedule to be 100 percent for the start of training camp.

Rookie Johnny Manziel took some snaps with the first team during OTAs this week and made the most of them. He connected with Josh Gordon on a deep out route and with tight end Jordan Cameron for a touchdown in a red-zone drill. Last week, Manziel worked with the third team.

"I feel like them putting me in those situations, there's another speed level there," Manziel said. "I'm getting a little bit accustomed to it, but I don't put any stock in it."

DALLAS COWBOYS

Free safety: J.J. Wilcox, Matt Johnson and Jeff Heath are battling for the starting job opposite strong safety Barry Church.

Wilcox, a third-round pick in 2013, will get the first shot, but remains a raw prospect who played only one year at the position in college after moving over from offense. His development was impacted as a rookie due to a death in the family and a mid-season injury.

Johnson has yet to play a game since being taken in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He must get healthy and have a full camp so he finally can live up to his potential. He is the ideal cover free safety if he can find a way to stay on the field.

Heath started nine games last year because of injuries after joining the team as an undrafted free agent.

DENVER BRONCOS

Nickel cornerback: Both of the Broncos' listed starters have injury concerns. Free-agent pickup Aqib Talib has never played a full 16-game season and had hip problems over the years. Fourth-year veteran Chris Harris Jr. is coming off a partially torn ACL and is not expected to participate in OTAs. That is what made first-round draftee Bradley Roby a good fit. The Broncos needed additional depth and a potential future starter.

Roby will grapple with 2013 third-round pick Kayvon Webster to be the No. 3 cornerback, which could mean an every-down role at some point this season for the winner. Webster worked his way up to the No. 3 spot last November after Champ Bailey struggled with a foot injury and Tony Carter continued to be beaten deep. Roby has the physical tools, but Webster has the experience and is recovered from a fractured right thumb suffered in a Dec. 12 loss to San Diego.

Related Stories

NFL Stars of Week The SportsXchange
Bengals shuffle running back depth chart The SportsXchange
Ravens don't have starting RT, but have options Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic
Competition in passing game highlights 49ers' OTAs Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
NFL roundup: Cowboys LB Lee injured in first OTA The SportsXchange

DETROIT LIONS

Cornerback: Darius Slay, a second-round pick in 2013, is most impressive thus far in OTAs, and has the best combination of size and athleticism in the group. As long as he continues the upward trend from his rookie season, he should be a starter.

On the other side, Chris Houston remains the favorite after signing a five-year, $25 million deal last offseason, but he struggled in 2013 and underwent toe surgery recently from which he might not recover by the start of training camp.

Rashean Mathis was one of the pleasant surprises last season, starting 13 games after signing with the team in August. He or Cassius Vaughn, who started 11 games for the Colts in 2012, could start opposite Slay depending on Houston's recovery. Third-year cornerback Bill Bentley and fourth-round pick Nevin Lawson have an outside chance at a starting job, but are more likely to handle nickel duties.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Free safety. General manager Ted Thompson addressed the team's biggest need this offseason by taking former Alabama playmaker Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round of the draft with the No. 21 pick. However, Clinton-Dix hasn't been anointed the savior of the back end of Green Bay's defense, which didn't have one interception or a forced fumble by a safety all last season.

Last week, Clinton-Dix played second fiddle to Micah Hyde in the pecking order besides returning strong safety Morgan Burnett. Hyde, a natural cornerback who played considerably and contributed in the nickel role as a rookie last season, is cut in the versatile mold of former Packers standout Charles Woodson. With impressive 2012 rookie nickel back Casey Hayward back in the fold after missing most of last season because of injury, a compelling summer showdown between Hyde and Clinton-Dix at safety is brewing.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Strong safety: D.J. Swearinger, Chris Clemons and Eddie Pleasant are the combatants.

Swearinger, last year's second-round pick, is a fierce hitter who excels around the line of scrimmage. He should make tremendous improvement in the offseason. He must improve in coverage. He's got to be able to turn and run with the player he's covering. He has to learn not to bite on play fakes.

Clemons, a six-year veteran who signed as a free agent, can play either safety position, but is better the closer he plays to the line of scrimmage. Clemons started at Miami. He's a savvy veteran who's expected to teach and push Swearinger.

Pleasant has been a special teams star because of his hard-hitting style. Under former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, he was a hard hitter who lacked the talent of Swearinger, but the coaches loved his fearless style. He'll have to excel on special teams again to make the team.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Offensive guards: With the Colts not re-signing Mike McGlynn and Donald Thomas coming back from a torn biceps and a quad injury, who ends up starting at the left and the right guard spots remains up for grabs.

Besides Thomas, if fully recovered from his injuries, there is second-year returnee Hugh Thornton, 2014 second-round draft pick Jack Mewhort and former Chicago Bears starter Lance Louis.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Free safety: Josh Evans vs. Winston Guy. A year ago Evans had 11 starts as a rookie and Guy started twice as a second-year player and this will be considered a vulnerable area until one of them proves otherwise.

Although Evans had more starts last year, Guy came on strong in the second half of the season and was probably playing better at the end of the season than Evans.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Right guard: Last season, the starting job was shared between Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz, but both left as unrestricted free agents - Asamoah signed in Atlanta, Schwartz with the New York Giants.

In the first OTA session, Rishaw Johnson was in the starting lineup. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Johnson has played in just three games after spending practice-squad time with Seattle (2012) and the Chiefs (2013). He has the road-grader physique the Chiefs are looking for when opening running room for Jamaal Charles and pass protection for Alex Smith.

If Johnson falters, others that may get a shot at the job are Rokevious Watkins, a 2012 fifth-round selection by St. Louis, plus this year's sixth-round draft choices by the Chiefs -- Zach Fulton out of Georgia and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from McGill University in Canada.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Middle linebacker: Miami shifted strong-side linebacker Koa Misi to middle linebacker and Dannell Ellerbe from the middle to the strong side. The Dolphins drafted linebacker Jordan Tripp (fifth round/Montana), but it appears they'll go with the same trio of starters from last season.

If Misi doesn't provide a boost, there is little reason to think this unit will improve after being tagged as the defense's weak link last year when it ranked 24th against the run, yielding 124.8 yards per game on the ground.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Nickel cornerback: The starting cornerbacks are set, but in the pass-crazed NFC North, a reliable nickel corner to play alongside starters Xavier Rhodes and Captain Munnerlyn is vital.

Eight corners currently are competing for that nickel-back spot, which needs an upgrade if coach Mike Zimmer is to turn around the 31st-ranked pass defense. Third-year pro Josh Robinson, who was unimpressive when given the chance to be a starter last season, and free-agent acquisition Derek Cox, who slumped in his only season in San Diego a year ago, are the primary contenders. The dark horse is Shaun Prater, who showed good instincts after signing as a street free agent during last season. Rookies Kendall James and Jabari Price, both Day 3 selections, also are worth watching.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Defensive tackle: Captain and Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork has a new contract, is returning from a torn Achilles and his days are over as the unquestioned centerpiece of the front line. Veteran Tommy Kelly is coming back from a torn ACL and will be pushed by top pick Dominique Easley for reps as an inside pass rusher, although the rookie is rehabbing his own ACL injury.

Armond Armstead is a wild card after the former USC star and CFL import missed his first season with an unspecified infection. Mix in guys like Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones and Joe Vellano -- who held down the fort through all the injuries in 2013 -- and defensive tackle is a very interesting, competitive position to watch in New England.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Cornerback: The Saints are set at one cornerback with Keenan Lewis, their top free-agent pickup from 2013, but there will be competition to see who starts opposite him.

Former first-round draft pick Patrick Robinson, who played in just two games last season before tearing his patellar tendon, was working with the first-team defense ahead of Champ Bailey and third-year pro Corey White last week.

Bailey is fully expected to win the job going into training camp with Robinson and White likely battling for the nickel cornerback spot. Rod Sweeting, who earned a roster spot as an undrafted free agent last summer, and second-round draft pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste could also be in the picture.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Offensive line: The Giants finished 28th in the league with their average of 307.5 yards per game, and they must get better up front in the trenches and do a better job of not only run blocking but keeping quarterback Eli Manning upright.

Key starting positions to be determined are center and right guard. Figuring into the mix at both spots is second-round pick Weston Richburg, a natural center who is also going to work at guard this summer. Veteran J.D. Walton, signed originally as an undrafted free agent, must be healthy after missing last year recovering from an ankle issue that lingered from 2012. Richburg, regarded as the team's future at center, may also compete against veteran Chris Snee at right guard. Snee is recovering from hip and elbow surgeries.

NEW YORK JETS

Quarterback: Another year another quarterback controversy, this time featuring 24-year-old Geno Smith, who appears to have the upper hand, and dynamic, 34-year-old Michael Vick.

Smith is supposed to be the team's future. But time will tell if the team is more concerned with winning now if Vick seems to better offer that opportunity. Opinions seem to differ among various team executives whether there is open competition or if Smith is the designated starter.

Why the concern? Why not just admit competition is open? Well, if Vick surges past Smith on the depth chart some may believe that shows the Jets are unable to find a franchise quarterback on their own.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Cornerback: DJ Hayden vs. Carlos Rogers. Hayden, a first-round pick last year whose season was derailed by health issues, would be an additional first-round pick to go along with this year's first-round pick, linebacker Khalil Mack on the defense.

Rogers will play, regardless, as the slot cornerback, a position he played with the San Francisco 49ers.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Outside linebacker: Veteran Trent Cole vs. first-round draftee Marcus Smith. Cole led the Eagles in sacks last season with eight, all of them coming in the last eight games of the season. But he is 32 and spent all but last season as a 4-3 defensive end. The Eagles likely will use Smith initially as a third-down pass-rush specialist.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Left tackle: Mike Adams, drafted second in 2012, started the first four games there last season, but lost his job to Kelvin Beachum, who was drafted in the seventh round in 2013. Beachum started the rest of the way, except for one game he missed because of injury.

Adams, 6-foot-7, 315, was knifed in the stomach in Pittsburgh one year ago Sunday and he wants his job back. Beachum, 6-foot-3, 300, wants to keep it. Beachum is more of a technician who relies on his savvy and leverage. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will keep a sharp eye on what is considered the second-most important job on offense.


SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Cornerbacks: The Chargers had the AFC's worst pass defense last year, so they spent their first-round pick on Texas Christian cornerback Jason Verrett. Now they have to find out if he can play.

Shareece Wright likely remains one of the starting cornerbacks. But a battle is looming between Verrett and Richard Marshall, which should be among the spirited ones in camp. Marshall had 50 tackles last year and the same number of interceptions as Wright -- zero.

Verrett was the fourth cornerback selected in the draft after earning All-Big 12 honors last season. While his leaping and closing ability are impressive, what stands out as well is where he stands: 5-foot-9.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Cornerback: Gone are former starters Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, leaving Tramaine Brock as the loan holdover with significant snaps from 2013.

In the battle are free agent Chris Cook and draftees Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker. Eric Wright and Perrish Cox were re-signed to modest one-year contracts. Chris Culliver is the early favorite to start opposite Brock, but remains a question mark after missing all of last season with an ACL tear suffered in training camp. Cook has seen the most snaps with the first team while the team continues to work Culliver back into football shape slowly.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Right tackle: Seattle won the Super Bowl last year despite giving up 44 sacks, eight more than in 2012 and despite the presence of athletic quarterback Russell Wilson.

Last season, right tackle Breno Giacomini and left tackle Russell Okung each missed eight games. Okung is sitting out OTAs after having offseason surgery to repair the toe injury that hampered him last season. Giacomini is gone to the Jets as a free agent.

Second-year player Michael Bowie is competing with rookie second-round pick Justin Britt for the right-tackle job. Bowie was one of Seattle's pleasant surprises in 2013, a seventh-round pick who ended up starting at right tackle when Giacomini was out, then started the playoff game against New Orleans at left guard.

TAMPA BAY BUCANNEERS

Tight end: Tim Wright, a rookie converted from receiver, emerged last year following season-ending injuries to Luke Stocker and Tom Crabtree and caught more than 50 passes and five touchdowns.

The Bucs reloaded, signing free agent Brandon Myers, 28, who has 126 receptions for 1,331 yards and eight touchdowns the past two seasons for the Giants (2013) and Raiders (2012) then drafting Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a 6-foot-5, 260-pounder out of Washington, in the second round. In 38 years, no Bucs tight end totaled 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, with the closest being Kellen Winslow Jr. with 884 in 2009.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Kicker: With Rob Bironas gone after nine years, the job is open.

Maikon Bonani is back in camp for the second straight summer. Bonani showed a strong leg last year, but had some accuracy issues. His primary competition will be free-agent rookie Travis Coons, who has school obligations at the University of Washington and will miss the team's OTA work.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Inside linebacker: London Fletcher retired after starting every game the past seven seasons while making four Pro Bowls, calling the defensive signals and serving as a captain.

Washington signed free agents Akeem Jordan (98 games, 44 starts), Darryl Sharpton (42 games, 19 starts) and Adam Hayward (107 games, 13 starts), but the leading candidate appears to be Keenan Robinson, a fourth-round pick out of Texas in 2012.

Robinson's rookie year ended with a torn pec on Thanksgiving at Dallas and he missed all of 2013 with a similar injury suffered before preseason began. However, Robinson spent more time working with the starters last week than any of the newcomers.

--NFL correspondents for The Sports Xchange contributed analysis for each team.

--Frank Cooney, founder and publisher of The Sports Xchange and NFLDraftScout.com, covered the NFL and the draft since the 1960s and is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.