For football teams, analysts, and fans, one of the most important parts of the preseason / training camp cycle are positional battles. Whether they concern starting quarterbacks or backups, these players are engaged in real competition with each other, and everything is on the line. Losing these battles might mean losing your job, and winning might mean getting that one shot at NFL stardom and generational wealth. 

Perhaps the most famous positional battle in NFL history was Joe Montana vs Steve Young in the early 90’s. Two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history were facing off in a contest that lasted *years*, and led to multiple Super Bowl victories all around. How about Phillip Rivers vs Drew Brees in the 00s, or on the other end of the talent spectrum, Tim Tebow against Kyle Orton in 2011. That same year the Saints were letting *four running backs battle it out, in Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, and Chris Ivory. Positional battles can range from friendly to downright hostile, and everything in between.

The Packers have no shortage of positional battles, and it’s little wonder why. For years, both GM Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFluer have preached the need to create competition at all levels of the roster. It’s the old adage that “iron sharpens iron”, and while it’s not exactly re-inventing the wheel from a sports perspective, the Packers have certainly embraced this side of roster building. Consider their affinity for drafting players of the same position in the same draft. This year it was Matthew Golden and Savion Williams (though that didn't lead to much of an actual competition between the two, for this year at least), but we can also remember Tucker Kraft-Luke Musgrave, Christian Watson / Romeo Dobbs, Dontayvion Wicks / Jarden Reed / Grant Dubose, even back to Jaire Alexander / Josh Jackson. Those are just a few examples, but this strategy of “stuffing” a position with picks leads directly to training camp competition. Outside of being drafted in the same year, players are certainly drafted for the sole purpose of creating competition for players already on the roster. Think Jordan Morgan being brought in, even after Rasheed Walker’s solid year in 2023. 

So what determines who wins a training camp battle? The first and most obvious indicator of a training camp winner is, of course, performance. You play to win the game, as hall of famer Herm Edwards so cogently reminded us all. 

There are a couple of other factors at play as well that are a little less visible to the fans on the outside of 1265 Lombardi Ave. The first one is playbook knowledge, personal habits, health, special teams contributions, contract, and age. Playbook knowledge and personal habits (studying, training, chemistry with fellow players) are obviously the most obscure variables to us, as most of this happens behind closed doors. We can get a small peak at some of this on the practice field, but it’s exactly that: small. 

Health is obviously not a factor that a player can directly control, and it’s obviously an unfortunate side of football, but it is something that the team must take into consideration. Contract and age are the front office’s side of things, and can be a major advantage that one player has over another, especially when looking at competitions on the fringes of the roster. Youth represents more potential upside, less health concerns, and usually a cheaper contract with more years of “team control”. Special teams contributions can be what really puts a player over the top, however. The best ability is availability, and if a player can make himself available to a whole other side of the ball, in addition to their normal position, all the better. Since the hiring of Rich Bisaccia, the Packers have certainly changed their special teams philosophies when it comes to this. In the past the special teams were seemingly an afterthought in roster construction, and rarely, if ever, got to keep it’s own players on the roster.

Today I will be going position by position on offense, to take a look at how those position battles are progressing, as we are now halfway through the preseason. I’ll be noting if any new battles have emerged through this period, if any have become all but settled, and we’ll keep in mind all of the factors we just discussed. There’s not much I can quantify from either playbook knowledge or habits, but we’ll attempt to ascertain some details from what the decision makers have said. 

Quarterbacks

Sean Clifford vs Taylor Elgersma

Everyday when they get out of bed, I guarantee that the Packers front office thanks the football gods that they have a completely settled situation at QB1 and QB2. One must only look back a few days at what's going on in Indianapolis to see how lucky we are. 

The intrigue comes from the QB3 position, and whether rookie Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma could unseat Sean Clifford from his spot in the practice squad. Elgersma had his work cut out for him from the beginning, starting with the unusual situation of needing to learn a whole new set of football rules. As a Canadian player, Elgersma learned the game with different rules and field dimensions (110 yards long by 65 yards wide, as opposed to the American 100 yards by 53 ⅓ yards). The youth and contract situation are heavily skewed in Elgersma’s favor, as Elgersma is three years younger and has two more years of team control. In my opinion however, it would be unfair to expect Elgersma to have as adequate control over the playbook as Clifford, considering Clifford’s three years of experience in Matt Lafluer’s system. In preseason games (and from reporters on the sideline at practice), Elgersma has the better arm, but I will give the edge to Clifford for the time being. I’m sure the Packers would love to keep both, but having two quarterbacks on the practice squad may be a bit too rich. 

Running Back

Emmanuel Wilson vs Chris Brooks and Amar Johnson vs Isreal Abandikanda vs the loser

There are two separate battles happening here, although I've seen some suggesting otherwise. With the news that Marshawn Lloyd (pretty obviously the team’s preferred RB2) will be missing a small amount of time with hamstring tightness, the competition between Emmanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks is now for RB 2, to begin the season at least. Wilson and Brooks were both heavy contributors for the Packers last season, with Brooks really coming on from Thanksgiving onward.The question is whether Amar Johnson or Isreal Abandikanda can convince the front office that they should make the team, not only against each other, but over whoever loses the Wilson vs Brooks battle. I don’t think anyone really saw this question coming before training camp, but with the performances these backs have put on so far through training camps, I think it’s certainly on the Packers’ mind. 

If Johnson / Abandikanda can make it a close race between them and the loser, I think the front office may be tempted. Both Brooks and Wilson have only one year left on their contract, while Johnson / Abandikanda have three and four years left, respectively. Johnson has looked like the more dynamic running back in preseason so far, while Abandikanda has looked great returning kickoffs. However, it’s that last point that I think will be the biggest, and as of now, I will give Abandikanda the edge over Johnson.

That being said, I think this is a classic case of not overthinking what you have. Both Brooks and Wilson have been capable contributors to the offense when they’ve been called upon, and the Packers should roll the dice on getting Abandikanda and Johnson back on the practice squad, keeping Brooks and Wilson on the 53. This would leave the Packers looking for a kickoff returner, possibly Marshawn Lloyd?

Wide Receiver / Tight Ends 

Mecole Hardman vs Malik Heath and Ben Simms vs John Fitzpatrick

In what is certainly the most crowded position field on the Packers and maybe the entire league, the wide receiver room actually looks to be quite set, as far as the 53 man roster is concerned. Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Romeo Dobbs, and Christian Watson will be on that roster. There is potential for a seventh wide receiver to be on the roster post cutdown day, considering massive injuries to the room that seem to be threatening to keep others out of the week one lineup as well. 

The two most obvious contenders are Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath. They’ve got different skill sets, with Hadman likely needing to make the team as the primary punt returner and Heath specializing as a blocker. Both players’ upside is limited at this point in their career, but I’ve got no doubt that either could serve in a “break in case of emergency” role, once (hopefully) injuries in the room stabilize. 

My assumption entering the preseason was that Hardman was likely the shoe-in for this role, but his struggles in week one against the Jets at punt return has thrown that into doubt. Heath’s extra year of contract control and blocking skills may give him an edge, but could this be a rare situation where a player’s youth may hurt them? Considering the youth already in the wide receiver room, having a player with Hardman’s playoff experience might be tantalizing. Even still, right now my prediction would be that Heath is the victor, and I’m giving him the edge for his blocking ability (in my opinion he’s by far the best in this area among the wide receivers), and the contract.  

At tight end, Ben Simms and John Fitzpatrick had a short lived battle, in which Fitzpatrick has all but run away with the job. The team should have no problem bringing Simms back on the practice squad, if they choose. 

Offensive Line

Raheed Walker vs Jordan Morgan and Jacob Monk vs Donovan Jennings vs Kadeem Telfort vs Tyler Cooper

In what is by far the most buzz-worthy position battle on the roster right now, we have Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan locked in a tight race for the left tackle spot. For Rasheed Walker, the stakes couldn’t be higher, which likely makes the groin injury that has held him out for preseason games all the more frustrating. As Walker enters a contract year, it’s extremely likely, if not obvious, that his next contract will not be coming from the Green Bay Packers. 

While the former seventh round selection has outplayed every possible expectation of that draft slot, the Packers still choose to take Jordan Morgan to compete with him. While Morgan was relegated to a battle with Sean Rhyan last year, he has taken a firm grip on tackle this preseason and so far, has not looked back. Through two preseason games, Morgan has not surrendered a SINGLE pressure. With Walker likely returning to full time practice this week, look for that battle to heat up, but I lean towards Walker retaining the job. Trading Walker might seem like a really tempting opportunity, but keeping the top-end OL depth intact is looking more and more important as the preseason goes by. 

Meanwhile at the bottom of the depth chart, there’s a group of four linemen seemingly struggling to just keep their heads above water. I and others praised the seeming depth of the position as the Packers entered training camp, and looked to be eight or nine NFL caliber players deep along the line. Now? Travis Glover is gone for the year, after a great start to camp. The rest have looked, well, *bad. Jacob Monk, Donovan Jennings and Tyler Cooper have struggled mightily, while Telfort may have already sunk his chances to make the team. Following the starting five, and a pair of young tackles in Morgan and Belton (who obviously had his own struggles this week), how many more does the team keep? My prediction here might be a bit of a cop out, but I’m guessing that someone not even on the roster now is on that 53 man list, along with Jacob Monk to make it nine linemen kept on the roster. 

Final Thoughts

The Packers obviously have a ton of difficult decisions to make at every position, when the roster will need to be trimmed down next Tuesday. Join me tomorrow for a look at battles on the defensive side of the ball, including some of what I believe to be the most difficult decisions to make on the entire team: the defensive line.