'It’s pretty much a clean slate': 3 position battles to watch out for in 2021 NFL Training Camp
What's training camp without a little uncertainty, eh?
Heading into the first few days of the NFL's 2021 training camp, much remains undecided. Which NFL players will get cut? Which rookies will take their first steps at the top of the depth chart? Which tired veterans will start to slip?
At the core of training camp are the position battles that will answer these questions. Here are three position battles to watch out for in this year's training camp.
Position wars: NFL edition
#1 - Drew Lock versus bridgewater" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teddy Bridgewater
In April, it seemed the Denver Broncos were poised to jump up 20 spots in the NFL power rankings with the addition of Aaron Rodgers. That trade never went through, and Rodgers instead touched base in Green Bay under the cover of the night.
Instead, the Broncos signed Teddy Bridgewater after a failed 5-11 campaign to take on incumbent Drew Lock. Lock is also coming off a 5-11 season.
The battle is poised to be a long, grueling affair. Picture the days of the NFL training camps of yore that saw Trevor Siemian take on Paxton Lynch back in 2016 and 2017. Both Lock and Bridgewater have had bright spots in their NFL careers but just as many pitfalls.
If Bridgewater wins, it will be the end of the Drew Lock experiment and it will feel like a final close to the John Elway quarterback carousel in the post-Manning era.
#2 - Jameis Winston versus Taysom Hill
Originally, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Winston would be the first starter of the post-Brees era. However, rumors are floating around that Sean Payton is not happy with Winston and may be willing to open the competition up to a true battle.
If this happens, it will be interesting to see if Hill has done enough in his four years with the team to earn the number one spot instead of relative newcomer Winston, who has been on the team for one year.
#3 - dalton" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andy Dalton versus Justin Fields
Andy Dalton seems to be the bridge quarterback for 2021. However, Matt Nagy is not afraid to open up a competition if he sees an issue with Dalton. Remember, this is the coach who brought in seemingly a dozen kickers during the NFL's offseason after the double-doink missed field goal in the playoffs in 2018.
Alternatively, if Justin Fields comes out and proves himself to be a better option than Dalton in a side-by-side comparison, Nagy could be tempted to pull the trigger earlier than he was planning to. Put simply, in Chicago, there is a competition even if it is a tacit one at the moment.
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