Summer is over for pigskin professionals. The NFL is back.
With training camps opening across the league, it's time for the competitions for jobs to commence.
Competition is the name of the game for every squad. It's what breeds improvement and ultimately leads to winning. Certain positions with limited rep-sharing lend themselves to more notable battles. You won't see many defensive competitions highlighted, mainly because the hefty rotations and matchup-centric usage tend to make camp fights less impactful as the season approaches.
Below are the top 10 camp battles I'll be monitoring throughout training camp and into the preseason.
Joe Flacco vs. Kenny Pickett vs. Dillon Gabriel vs. Shedeur Sanders
The Browns are conducting the most unique quarterback competition in memory. It wasn't enough to pit a rookie against a veteran or a vet versus a vet. Cleveland has four candidates, two green and two seasoned. Flacco has enjoyed previous success in Kevin Stefanski's scheme, giving him a leg up, but he is 40 and has thrown 17 INTs in his last 12 starts. He's no slam dunk. Pickett profiles as a veteran backup, but Cleveland is hopeful he could be the next Sam Darnold reclamation project. Gabriel and Sanders are mid-round rookies who will need a 2012 Russell Wilson-esque camp to leapfrog the veterans. The Browns have suggested they could keep four QBs. However, Flacco and Pickett could be trade candidates, and it's possible that one of the rookies could be cut with a faceplant. How Stefanski divvies up the reps during camp will be worth tracking.
THE PICK: Flacco. It's not sexy, but he gives the Browns the best shot to win out of the gate.
Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones
The Colts brought in Jones to push Richardson and provide insurance should the injury bug continue to bite the former No. 4 overall pick. Oftentimes, such a move spells the end for the younger QB, but the Colts will give Richardson every opportunity to prove he can be the future. The team brass is committed enough to Richardson for us to believe he'll be given the baton if the competition is close. Richardson has displayed enticing upside as a runner with a massive arm. However, his accuracy, particularly on medium and short routes, hasn't improved. Worse, he hasn't stayed healthy, with another shoulder setback wiping out work this offseason. While he's expected to be ready for camp, the issue underscores his tenuous grasp on the gig. Jones isn't an obvious upgrade, but he does bring mobility and better short-area accuracy to Shane Steichen's offense. The past two years, Jones has struggled behind porous offensive lines and gotten rattled too easily. He also has his own injury concerns. If he looks like the 2022 version of himself, Jones has a shot at impressing the coaching staff enough to claim the starting job.
THE PICK: Richardson. Barring injury, I believe the staff still leans toward the incumbent for Week 1. It'd be much easier to start the season with Richardson under center, and then move to Jones if the youngster struggles. The inverse would be much more difficult to sell. While I'm taking Richardson to win the camp competition, I'd take Jones to actually make more starts for the bulk of the season. AR simply hasn't proven he can stay on the field.
Tyler Shough vs. Spencer Rattler
At least we no longer need to worry about Shough missing time during training camp due to a contract holdout. The Saints snagged the Louisville quarterback in the second round, and he became the presumptive starter even before Derek Carr's abrupt retirement. New Orleans will make the new guy earn it. Turning 26 in September, Shough bounced around at the college level, but boasts the size and arm of a prototypical NFL passer. On paper, he could fit into Kellen Moore's offense quite swimmingly, but there are injury and production concerns. Meanwhile, Rattler flashed some playmaking ability as a rookie, but was raw, struggled with his accuracy and made a host of first-year mistakes. He's a test case in how much a fifth-round pick can develop between Years 1 and 2.
THE PICK: Shough. Unless he implodes or gets injured, this has felt like the newbie's gig since draft night -- and certainly since Carr retired. The Saints need to know if the older rookie can be the long-term answer; if not, they could be right back in the QB market in 2026. To get that answer, they have to see him under center in real games.
Bonus Saints Camp Job To Watch: How former first-round tackle Trevor Penning adjusts to moving to guard could dictate how the entire offense operates in 2025.
Russell Wilson vs. Jameis Winston vs. Jaxson Dart
Maybe it's not a competition in the truest sense, seeing how Giants coach Brian Daboll named Wilson the starter back in April. However, any time a first-round quarterback is on the roster, changing gears is always a possibility. Wilson hasn't been a difference-maker under center in years. He can still run an offense and makes the right reads more often than not. However, at 36, he's become skittish in the pocket and hasn't hit as many big plays as we'd become accustomed to seeing during his Seahawks days. Mr. Unlimited is very limited at this point in his career. Could Dart provide enough upside to push Wilson, similar to how Russ once beat out Matt Flynn as a rookie? Dart's college profile is intriguing, but he's very raw and might need seasoning before getting tossed into the flames of the NFL. Given the pressure on the coaching staff and front office, however, the rookie could push for the starting gig with an excellent preseason. Winston feels like an afterthought in New York at this stage, but his experience could make him a trade candidate.
THE PICK: Wilson. I think Daboll sticks with the veteran to open the season, particularly given Big Blue's slate in the first month: at Commanders, at Cowboys, vs. Chiefs, vs. Chargers. But when things go sideways and the fan base starts clamoring for Dart, Daboll turns to the rookie in hopes he shows enough flashes to prolong the coach's tenure in New York.
Javonte Williams vs. Miles Sanders vs. Jaydon Blue
I'd peg Blue as the third-down, passing-game back to open his rookie season, playing the role the Cowboys missed last year after Tony Pollard exited. The real competition here is for the early-down role between Williams and Sanders. Both have seen their careers go off-kilter. Williams suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2022 and hasn't looked like the same tackle-breaking menace we saw during his rookie campaign. Can he recapture that yard-churning ability, or is the 25-year-old a backup at this stage? Sanders put up a Pro Bowl season in 2022 behind Philly's dominant offensive line, then learned what life was like running behind a less-than Panthers unit. He's earned 637 total rushing yards on 184 totes over the past two seasons -- equaling an average of just 3.5 yards per carry -- with four total TDs. All three backs will share in the committee this season, but camp will give us an indication of how reps will be split to open the campaign.
THE PICK: Williams. With the former second-round pick nearly three full years removed from a devastating injury, the Cowboys will hope the bruiser can give some attitude to the backfield and recapture his form.
Tate Ratledge vs. Graham Glasgow
Replacing a perennial Pro Bowler like the recently retired Frank Ragnow is no easy task. Trying to do so with a rookie is even trickier. Ratledge played guard -- not center -- at Georgia, yet the Lions are tossing him into the fire following Ragnow's departure. The rookie has taken early reps at the pivot during camp and gotten positive comments from coach Dan Campbell. Glasgow, meanwhile, struggled at left guard last season while battling through injuries and hasn't played center full time since the end of 2022. However, he'd offer experience at the crucial position for a young interior. I suspect the Lions will give Ratledge every chance to win the starting center job during camp and the preseason while keeping Glasgow at right guard, a position in which he’s more comfortable. That could come with some growing pains in front of Jared Goff as the Lions break in a new scheme under coordinator John Morton.
THE PICK: Ratledge. It's obviously not ideal for Detroit to be in this spot at center, but letting the rookie grow on the job could be the best move for the long-term effectiveness of the Lions' O-line.
Houston overhauled its porous offensive line, bringing in a trove of new players: veterans Cam Robinson, Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram and Trent Brown, as well as second-round draft pick Aireontae Ersery. The idea seemed to be collecting as much depth as possible, then letting the additions battle to see who would win the starting spots. At the moment, Robinson and Tomlinson appear poised to start at left tackle and left guard, respectively, while Tytus Howard is set at right guard. This leaves two positions open for true battles: center and right tackle. We likely won't know how the Texans are leaning until well into camp, when the pads come on, and the preseason. Houston's success this season could hinge on how this group melds once the campaign starts.
THE PICKS: With little firm information to go on after offseason workouts, my shot-in-the-dark guess at this point is the following starting lineup to open the season: Robinson (LT), Tomlinson (LG), Andrews (C), Howard (RG) and Blake Fisher (RT). Ersery is the biggest wild card and could unseat Fisher, who struggled for stretches as a rookie in 2024.
The common denominator in Kansas City's two Super Bowl losses over the past five seasons: porous offensive line play. Like we saw from the Chiefs in 2021, this offseason brought a revamp. K.C. signed Moore, drafted Simmons and kicked Kingsley Suamataia inside after he struggled mightily at tackle as a rookie. Suamataia will have to outplay Mike Caliendo for the left guard spot, but the most intriguing battle comes at LT. Ideally, Simmons runs away with starting job and anchors Patrick Mahomes' blind side for the next decade. Simmons was a top-10 talent but slipped to the end of Round 1 due to a patellar tendon injury suffered at Ohio State. If he's healthy, K.C. got a steal -- not starting out camp on an injury list is a positive sign. However, as the Chiefs found out last year, starting a rookie at left tackle can come with risks. First, Simmons must prove healthy. Then he needs to beat out Moore, the 27-year-old who played a swing-tackle role in San Francisco over the past four seasons, starting just 12 games in his pro career, including five in 2024. The lack of steady reps makes Moore a projection as a full-time starter. He could also slide in on the right side if Jawaan Taylor (PUP list) takes longer to recover from a knee injury than anticipated or suffers a setback.
THE PICK: Simmons. The Chiefs will ride their first-round pick so long as he remains healthy.
Following last year's disappointing showing from their receiver room, the Packers finally snapped a 23-year drought by spending a first-round pick on wideout Matthew Golden. Beyond him and Jayden Reed, the rest of Green Bay's WRs will battle for reps. Given Romeo Doubs underwhelming performance last year, along with the injuries and trade rumors, I'm putting the fourth-year pro in this group, even if he has the initial edge over everyone else. Additionally, how quickly Christian Watson recovers from his ACL tear will determine the pecking order and who makes the initial 53-man roster. Mecole Hardman is the biggest wild card, as he gives Matt LaFleur a gadget player to get creative with, something the Pack haven't always had during his tenure. Hardman might not be an every-down difference-maker, but he can get open and create mismatches. Given the crowded group, how LaFleur envisions using each wideout on a matchup basis could determine who stays and who goes.
THE PICKS: After Golden and Reed, I see Doubs, Hardman, third-round pick Savion Williams and third-year pro Dontayvion Wicks filling out the active roster spots at receiver to open the season. Barring a trade, I think Doubs bounces back from 2024. Williams could be a player who earns a bigger role as the year progresses.
Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Tank Bigsby vs. Bhayshul Tuten
New head coach Liam Coen likely will employ a committee backfield, as he did in Tampa Bay last year. The question at this point: Who holds the upper hand to get the first shot at a bulk of the reps to open the season? Etienne is coming off a brutal campaign in which he generated a career-low 3.7 yards per carry, netting 558 yards on 150 totes over 15 games while dealing with injuries. The former first-round pick was surpassed by Bigsby down the stretch. Tank generated 4.6 yards per carry behind the same offensive line. Tuten, a fourth-round pick in April, offers the most intrigue with breakaway speed. However, ball security was already an issue for the rookie this offseason. If he fixes that in camp, Tuten is a dark horse to overtake both veterans during the season. After all, Coen had no problem leaning on a rookie fourth-rounder last year in Tampa, as Bucky Irving eclipsed 1,100 yards rushing.
THE PICK: Etienne. I think Coen will give Etienne a chance to bounce back early in the season behind a revamped offensive interior. The way the coach talked about Etienne when dismissing trade rumors spoke volumes -- particularly the part about using him on screens and jet sweeps. The rope won't be long, though. Ultimately, Tuten can surpass both veterans by midseason if he holds on to the ball and produces big plays.
