Position battles at 2019 NFL training camp for every single team

Oakland Raiders – Left defensive end

Key competitors: Arden Key vs. Maxx Crosby vs. Benson Mayowa

It's year two of the Jon Gruden experience and still the entire Raiders roster looks completely different. Superstars have been traded away, others like Antonio Brown have been acquired and they just traded a boatload of guys. Two battles are going on at camp with multiple guys in the mix, but since I can’t figure out the tight end situation with several names, I decided to look at defensive end.

Obviously, the surprising selection of Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell means that one of those spots is already taken, because of the leadership and hard play he will provide them with. However, I think there aren’t completely settled on the left side. Arden Key once was the most natural pass rushers in college football and one of the top guys I had ever watched at LSU, but some lack of work being put in and size concerns pushed him down the board last year.

Coming in as a third-round pick, Key led a very disappointing Oakland D-line in snaps, but only got one sack all season. He has already come in underweight this offseason and needs to turn things around if he wants to come anywhere close to his potential. Fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby was a small-school standout at Eastern Michigan with 37.5 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks. He will not be questioned for a lack of motor. And while more of a longshot, I don’t want to disregard a veteran like Benson Mayowa, who was a solid rotational piece these last three years.

---

Philadelphia Eagles – Top running back

Key competitors: Jordan Howards vs. Miles Sanders

When you look at this roster compared to their Super Bowl run two years ago, these Eagles might be better at most positions outside of backup quarterback. Of course, we still have to see if Carson Wentz can stay healthy for a full season, but when he is, he can be one of the elite quarterbacks in the game and the Eagles know that which is why they gave him that big contract this offseason.

Up front they had a down-year on both sides of the ball and they had a ton of injuries in the secondary. That is a place I wanted to look at originally, but right now I can’t quite figure out who is even in the running, with Jalen Mills still earning plenty of playing time for some reason and not being sure who they want to play inside and on the perimeter respectively.

Instead, I want to look at the battle for a main running back in this offense. This is a position Philly wasn’t happy with as last season went along. It wasn't a very dynamic showing by Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles was mostly hurt again, neither Corey Clement nor Wendell Smallwood took the next step and in the end, it was an undrafted free agent in Josh Adams who handled the biggest share of carries at the end of the year. This offseason they got Jordan Howard in a bargain trade from Chicago and they drafted Miles Sanders from Penn State in round two.

---

Pittsburgh Steelers – X receiver

Key competitors: Donte Moncrief vs. James Washington vs. Diontae Johnson

When you lose your top receiver without any obvious replacement, it is always tough to get that production from somewhere else, When that guy is a future Hall of Famer and has been the most productive guy over the last six years, it is pretty much impossible, Yet, I think the Steelers are happy with the decision to get rid of Antonio Brown and are looking forward to not only JuJu Smith-Schuster thriving as their number one guy, but also one of those other young guys stepping up.

Since JuJu plays a lot in the slot and rarely is by himself into the boundary, I am looking at that X receiver spot specifically. Donte Moncrief has been teasing teams ever since his second year in the league, when he looked like the guy to complement T.Y. Hilton in Indy.

Last season he definitely had his moments with the Jaguars, but couldn’t really establish himself as that guy, James Washington is entering his second year in the pros after a rather frustrating rookie campaign that saw him drop some passes. He was a Biletnikoff Award winner at Oklahoma State and wants to show he can get it done on the next level as well.

And finally, Diontae Johnson was somewhat of a surprise pick, as they got him via that AB trade to acquire another MAC receiver with that early third-rounder. While he is likely third in that race and could be more of a threat in the return game in year one, he is slippery in the open field and has better speed than what he clocked in

---

San Francisco 49ers – Running back depth-chart

Key competitors: Tevin Coleman vs. Jerrick McKinnon vs. Matt Breida

Man, Kyle Shanahan really loves his running backs! Whether it was Alfred Morris in Washington or the dynamic duo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, that zone rushing attack with him as the offensive coordinator has been highly successful no matter the location. Now as a head coach in San Francisco, his team has had some of the worst injury luck in the league and somehow the offense has always found a way to be competitive and creative.

In last year’s free agency they gave Jerrick McKinnon a big payday for what they saw from him as a dual-threat out of the backfield in Minnesota, but he suffered a season-ending ACL tear before even hitting the field. This put Matt Breida in the spotlight, who was among the league leaders in rushing before dealing with some injuries over the last few weeks himself.

Now we can throw another name in the mix to complicate things, as Shanahan reunited with Tevin Coleman, who looked like the top RB2 in football during his stint with the Falcons. All three of those guys warrant touches and will probably have a role, unless they decide to trade one, but who will emerge as the lead guy?