While NFL minicamps and OTAs can offer insight into the status of important roster battles, training camp will often clarify how depth charts are stacking up around the league.
Quarterback competitions will take most of the headlines, but several teams have critical questions to answer at other positions.
Let’s run through the top NFL training camp battles you should pay attention to when summer practice sessions begin this week.
Most Interesting NFL Preseason Battles To Watch in 2024
New England Patriots | Quarterback
- Competition: Jacoby Brissett vs. Drake Maye
While Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are on track to start for the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders, respectively, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft will have to fight for his club’s QB1 job.
Maye will be given a chance to unseat Brissett as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, even if the veteran is viewed as the preferred option to begin the season.
Here’s how PFN Patriots reporter Dakota Randall characterized the battle earlier this summer:
“Brissett took all of the first-team reps during spring practices, establishing himself as the favorite for the job. But the narrative changed late in the spring. Maye, showing improved footwork and command of the offense, saw increased reps during mandatory minicamp. He was the best QB on the field for at least one of the two minicamp practices, if not both.”
New England will face the NFL’s most difficult schedule in 2024, including a daunting opening slate that features the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars over the first eight weeks. Waiting before throwing Maye into the fire could be wise for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
Minnesota Vikings | Quarterback
- Competition: Sam Darnold vs. J.J. McCarthy
This one feels a little less wide open.
While the Minnesota Vikings are surely excited about McCarthy’s future after selecting him 10th overall, every report has indicated that Darnold is the clear favorite to begin next season as the team’s starting quarterback.
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Still only 27 years old, Darnold is more than physically talented enough to guide an NFL team. But the simple fact is Darnold has never been productive at the NFL level. A hot five-game run with the Carolina Panthers at the end of the 2021 season remains his only streak of above-average play.
Minnesota has a Week 6 bye after what could be a nightmare revenge game for Darnold against the vaunted New York Jets defense. If the Vikings are 1-4 by that point, Kevin O’Connell could turn the reins over to McCarthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers | Quarterback
- Competition: Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers have already indicated that Wilson is the favorite for the team’s QB1 gig, so Fields would likely need to dominate during training camp and the preseason to take away the job.
While Wilson showed improvement under Sean Payton after a dreadful under ex-Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, he still ranked just 18th in EPA per play and 21st in QBR. He’s only making the league minimum, so the Steelers might be pleased with a repeat performance at that rate.
Fields might be a better fit for new Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith’s scheme and, given that he’s 10 years Wilson’s junior, is a more realistic candidate to stay with the Steelers for the long haul.
Las Vegas Raiders | Quarterback
- Competition: Gardner Minshew vs. Aidan O’Connell
The Las Vegas Raiders’ QB battle may be the most compelling signal-caller competition in the NFL — if only because the Silver and Black reportedly aren’t starting with a preferred winner in mind.
In May, Raiders general manager Tom Telesco indicated that his team will conduct an actual QB contest over the summer. While Minshew has far more experience under center, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggested in June that O’Connell could enter training camp with a slight lead in the race.
We’re still placing our bets on Minshew, who received $15 million on his two-year deal with the Raiders. O’Connell kept his head above water as a rookie fourth-round pick in 2023 but finished just 25th in QBR.
Buffalo Bills | Wide Receiver
- Competition: Keon Coleman vs. Curtis Samuel vs. Khalil Shakir
The Buffalo Bills are starting over at wide receiver after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and watching Gabe Davis sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
Coleman, Samuel, and Shakir figure to join tight end Dalton Kincaid as Josh Allen’s top four pass catchers, but will any of Buffalo’s best three wideouts turn into a true WR1 in 2024?
Samuel and Shakir have primarily been slot receivers at the NFL level, but at least one will need to spend more time on the perimeter for the Bills. Coleman mainly played on the outside at Florida State, but draft analysts pegged him as a “big slot” candidate.
Training camp might give us a better idea of how Buffalo plans to deploy its best receivers.
Kansas City Chiefs | Left Tackle
- Competition: Wanya Morris vs. Kingsley Suamataia
Veteran Donovan Smith was Patrick Mahomes’ blindside protector for much of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 Super Bowl campaign, but he’s still on the free agent market as of mid-July.
Assuming Smith doesn’t return before the season begins, the Chiefs will let Morris and Suamatia battle for their left tackle job.
Morris, a 2023 third-round pick, made four starts in relief of Smith last year, surrendering 27 pressures and two sacks. Kansas City traded up one spot near the end of the second round in the 2024 NFL Draft to grab Suamataia, who’s been viewed as a developmental prospect.
Green Bay Packers | Left Tackle
- Competition: Rasheed Walker vs. Jordan Morgan
The Green Bay Packers just keep drafting and developing starting-caliber offensive linemen.
With franchise stalwart David Bakhtiari largely unavailable in 2023, Walker — a 2022 seventh-round pick — stepped up to start 15 games at left tackle and was more than serviceable. Still, the Packers invested in a potential long-term upgrade by selecting Morgan in the first round of this year’s draft.
Morgan played solely left tackle at Arizona but was cross-trained at every position except center during Green Bay’s offseason program. If he doesn’t overtake Walker at left tackle, Morgan could line up at right guard to replace free agent defection Jon Runyan Jr.
Baltimore Ravens | Offensive Line
Ronnie Stanley will be the Baltimore Ravens’ left tackle, while Tyler Linderbaum will start at center. Baltimore’s other three offensive line jobs are all up for grabs after the club lost guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Morgan Moses over the offseason.
Second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten is the favorite to start at RT, but the Washington alum might have to beat out internal Ravens options like Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele.
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Guard is even more of a question mark. Andrew Vorhees might have been an early selection in the 2023 draft had he not been recovering from a torn ACL. Now that he’s recovered, Vorhees is a candidate to start in Baltimore, while veterans such as Ben Cleveland and Josh Jones are also in the mix.
Dallas Cowboys | Offensive Line
Given that the Dallas Cowboys were one of the NFL’s least active teams during free agency, they’ll need to rely on their rookies more than other clubs. That’s especially true along the offensive line, where offseason departures by left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz have created voids in front of Dak Prescott.
First-round pick Tyler Guyton is penciled in as Dallas’ starting left tackle, but replacing Smith is a tall task. Moreover, Guyton was viewed as a project coming out of Oklahoma. If he’s not ready to play in Week 1, the Cowboys could shift Tyler Smith to left guard — but that would entail even more moving pieces.
Third-round selection Cooper Beebe will face a bit more competition at center in the form of Brock Hoffman, who made two starts for Dallas in 2022. Still, Beebe — who didn’t play center at Kansas State but has practiced at the pivot — should be expected to claim the starting job sooner rather than later.
Philadelphia Eagles | Cornerback
- Competition: Quinyon Mitchell vs. Cooper DeJean vs. James Bradberry vs. Avonte Maddox
Darius Slay will be one of the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting outside cornerbacks — that much we know. However, the identity of the team’s CB2 and slot corner remain up in the air, with training camp on the horizon.
Philadelphia ranked 29th in pass-defense DVOA last season, so starting fresh under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio might be a good idea. The Eagles probably can’t allow Bradberry to see much playing time after he allowed a league-worst 11 touchdowns in his coverage area in 2023.
That could leave Mitchell, Philadelphia’s 2024 first-round pick, as the best option opposite Slay. Maddox might be the favorite to start in the slot, but he will face training camp competition from DeJean. And we haven’t even mentioned other intriguing Eagles CB candidates like Isaiah Rodgers or Kelee Ringo.
San Francisco 49ers | Cornerback
- Competition: Renardo Green vs. Isaac Yiadom
Charvarius Ward remains one of the NFL’s top corners, while Deommodore Lenoir will start for the San Francisco 49ers in some capacity (potentially as a perimeter CB who moves inside in nickel packages).
That leaves one open slot in the Niners’ defensive backfield, which figures to be filled by either Green, the club’s second-round pick in 2024, or Yiadom, a veteran who inked a one-year, $3 million deal after a surprisingly effective 2023 campaign with the New Orleans Saints.
San Francisco’s defense will undergo myriad changes next season under new coordinator Nick Sorensen, but who takes over at CB may be the most important question.
Houston Texans | Cornerback
- Competition: Kamari Lassiter vs. Jeff Okudah vs. C.J. Henderson
Could this battle conclude before it even gets off the ground?
While Okudah and Henderson — both former first-round choices who signed one-year deals with the Houston Texans this offseason — were considered the favorites to play alongside Derek Stingley Jr., Lassiter was a phenomenon during offseason work.
The rookie second-rounder routinely lined up with Houston’s first-team defense in OTAs and minicamp and recorded multiple pass breakups while earning praise from his teammates and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
“He doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Ryans said of Lassiter in June. “He’s very competitive. He’s trending in the right direction.”
Cincinnati Bengals | Cornerback
- Competition: DJ Turner vs. Dax Hill
The Cincinnati Bengals’ pass defense gave up far too many explosive plays in 2023. Only the Detroit Lions (69) allowed more passing completions of 20+ yards than the Bengals (65) last season.
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Additions at safety (Geno Stone, Vonn Bell) should help, but Cincinnati also needs better play out of its CB2. While Cam Taylor-Britt could turn into a star next season, and veteran Mike Hilton is lethal from the slot, Turner and Hill still have more to prove at the NFL level.
The ex-Michigan Wolverines will compete at cornerback this summer after Hill’s conversion from safety to corner. Both DBs received ample reps during OTAs, and there’s a chance no clear winner is decided. The Bengals have used rotations at corner in the past and could do so again in 2024.
New York Jets | Safety
- Competition: Chuck Clark vs. Tony Adams vs. Ashtyn Davis
The New York Jets might have the NFL’s best defense, but we’re still unsure who will be lining up at safety. While Gang Green boasts the league’s top CB duo in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, the club might need help on the back end after losing free agent Jordan Whitehead over the offseason.
After missing his Jets debut campaign with a torn ACL, Clark returned on a modest deal, but he turned 29 in April. New York might feel comfortable with Adams after he started 15 games a season ago, but Davis has rarely been more than a special teamer.
Could the Jets still sign a veteran like Justin Simmons or Quandre Diggs before Week 1?
