Now that we’ve got the Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys behind us, the rest of the NFL will get their first taste of preseason action in the next few days. During training camp and the weeks leading up to the regular season, there will be a bevy of positional battles taking place on every team. Here are three competitions that will be worth monitoring as we inch closer to meaningful NFL football:
Broncos Quarterback
The Denver Broncos brought in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this off-season to compete with Drew Lock. So far, both quarterbacks have played well in training camp, and there’s not much separation between the two. Both Lock and Bridgewater have been splitting snaps with the first-team offense as Vic Fangio tries to keep everyone guessing who will be under centre come week 1.
In 13 starts for the Broncos last year Lock threw 16 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Meanwhile as a starter for the Carolina Panthers Bridgewater threw 15 touchdowns and 11 picks in 15 starts, so it’s not as though either signal caller had a year to write home about in 2020. The Broncos struggled last year turning the ball over, so it could come down to something as simple as whichever quarterback takes better care of the football in the preseason will win the job.
Saints Quarterback
With Drew Brees retiring, the New Orleans Saints will turn to either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill (or very likely a mix of both) as their starting quarterback. Like the Broncos situation, both Hill and Winston have performed well in their small sample size of first-string snaps.
Last season Hill started four games for the Saints while Brees was out and compiled a 3-1 record. Hill threw for 928 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions while Winston threw only 11 passes all year but is widely viewed as the better pocket passer of the two. Winston has had some success in the NFL but, as his historic 33TD/30INT 2019 season proves, is turnover-prone.
If Winston wants to win the quarterback job and keep it, he absolutely has to cut down on his turnovers. Hill could add a different dynamic with the ability to make plays outside the pocket. Give the inside track to Winston for the time being, but given Sean Payton’s love for Hill don’t be surprised if he has an extremely short leash.
Raiders Slot Corner
Under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, the Las Vegas Raiders have an interesting slot corner battle going. The Raiders unofficial depth chart came out earlier this week, and it had Nevil Lawson slated as a starter. But second-year pro Amik Robertson and rookie Nate Hobbs are keeping things interesting as we progress towards Week 1. Hobbs was impressive in the offseason minicamps and the first two weeks of training camp, while Robertson has had some good moments as well.
Lawson will miss the first two games of the season because of suspension, so even if he were to win the job, he could lose it if Hobbs and Robertson played well in the role. Pay close attention to this positional battle as it will be a crucial one for a Raiders defense that ranked 30th in the league in 2020.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83