Position battles at 2019 NFL training camp for every single team

New England Patriots – Defensive end

Tom Brady

Key competitors: Deatrich Wise vs. Chase Winovich

Competition is king in Foxborough and while Tom Brady has been the one constant for them these last 19 years, nobody’s position on the depth chart or even the roster is safe. Both the utilization of their receivers and the share of touches in the backfield will be interesting to watch for them this upcoming year, but I want to focus on the defensive side of the ball. With the loss of Trey Flowers in free agency, at least one of those defensive end spots should be up for grabs with Michael Bennett expected to take over the other.

Deatrich Wise has been a contributor for the Pats these last two years, combining for 9.5 sacks and already seeing the field for over 40 percent of the snaps last season. He might not be a great pass rusher, but he gets the job done and holding his ground in the run game. Competing with him will be their third-round pick Chase Winovich out of Michigan.

This kid is one of the hardest playing, toughest guys I have watched in college and he does is at with a smile on his face when he is not beating somebody’s backside at the moment. He was very productive during these last two years with the Wolverines thanks to his power and feel for how to yank pads of blockers. This should be a pretty good battle, but with how they liked to use Trey Flowers on sub-packages and how Bennett slid inside over guards during his time with Seattle, both could see plenty of playing time.

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New Orleans Saints – Big running back

Key competitors: Latavius Murray vs. Javorius Allen vs. Devine Ozigbo

Unlike the Patriots, the Saints are coming off a very disappointing ending to their season, as they finished with that whole no-call controversy, which led to exaggerated changing of the replay rules. Even with the retirement of center Max Unger and a new 40-year-old Drew Brees, they should be one of the best teams in the league. They need to hope for Sheldon Rankins to return 100 percent from that torn Achilles and that Marcus Davenport breaks out in year two after how much they invested into him, but that defense from last year is still intact.

Offensively they need to change at center, but I really like second-round pick Eric McCoy from Texas A&M, and Jared Cook at tight-end is an overlooked addition. Their biggest loss in my opinion now is running back Mark Ingram. His violent running style in between the tackles to match with a very explosive guy in Alvin Kamara will be missed and someone has to take over some of that role at least. I know the Saints brought in Latavius Murray, but I always thought he was a rather limited back who needs some room to get going, which won’t bode well in short-yardage situation.

Buck Allen was signed after a rather disappointing final year in Baltimore, looking to re-established a larger role. And then there’s one of my favorite guys from the draft in Devine Ozigbo. He couldn’t really break through until his senior year on a bad Nebraska offense when he averaged 7.0 yards per carry and scored 12 touchdowns. I love the bruising running style and sweet feet. Don’t just pencil Murray in for the RB2 spot.

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New York Giants – No. 2 cornerback

Key competitors: Sam Beal vs. DeAndre Baker vs. Julian Love

A lot of things have not gone the way New York sports fans wanted them to. The Knicks didn’t get Zion in the NBA draft, neither Kyrie nor KD wanted to play at Madison Square Garden and the Giants drafted Daniel Jones sixth overall, who barely anybody even watched play at Duke but still rejected from the start.

The fact that Eli is still undoubtedly the Giants starting QB is mind-blowing to me, but outside of that and Odell Beckham Jr. trade, their roster has seen some improvement recently. That includes who I think already is the best running back in football, a retooled offensive line and a load of big bodies on the D-line. However, most additions have probably been made in the secondary. Their safeties should pretty much be cemented and Janoris Jenkins is still good enough to be a starter for them.

With Grant Haley establishing himself as their top option in the slot as an undrafted free agent, it’s that second job on the outside that is up for grabs. Sam Beal was worth a third-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft because of the upside he showed at Western Michigan as a long press-corner, but he missed his entire rookie campaign with a shoulder injury.

At the end of this year’s first round of the draft, the G-Men traded up to make Georgia’s DeAndre Baker the first corner off the board due to the instincts and alpha-dog mentality he played with for the Dawgs. And then on day three, they grabbed another guy I really like in Julian Love, who I thought had the quick feet and competitive nature to make him an excellent off-corner. All three of those guys have the talent to start, with Love probably also competing at nickel due to his size and style.

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New York Jets – Right tackle

Key competitors: Brandon Shell vs. Chuma Edoga

As much as everybody loves Baker Mayfield and he was special as a rookie, Sam Darnold was the top-rated quarterback in last year’s draft and he was one of my prime candidates to break out this upcoming season in my most recent article.

While the Jets made some of their biggest additions on defense with the highest-paid linebacker ever in C.J. Mosley and my number one overall prospect in the draft in Quinnen Williams, they also tried to help their young signal-caller. They signed superstar running back Le’Veon Bell after a year, trading only a fifth-round pick for a former All-Pro guard in Kelechi Osemele and getting him a nice slot receiver in Jamison Crowder.

To me, the most important part was taking some weight off Darnold’s shoulder with the ground game and giving him better protection. The number that resonates with me when talking about this Jets O-line is 26. That was the percentage of runs stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage and how often he was under pressure. That unit has the pieces to be much better in 2019 and the one spot I am keeping my eye on is right tackle.

Brandon Shell has been a starter for Gang Green these last two years and he played his best ball down the stretch last year, but I also really like one of their rookies. Chuma Edoga was the most impressive player for me at this year’s Senior Bowl. He didn’t lose a single rep in one-on-ones and really impressed me with his feet. I need to see some better hand-positioning and he needs to hit the weight room, but I think he has the talent to start soon.