[Chief Rum]

Likely Preseason Battles

Here are the position battles I am anticipating.

QB: We only have three quarterbacks, and no one is threatening to overtake Blake. This won't be an issue.

RB: My plan is running back by committee, but both Shipp and Smith will have the opportunity to establish themselves over the other. Scobey and Anderson might be fighting for a third spot, while the odd man out could get his pink slip.

FB: Like QB, we have the bare minimum here, so these guys aren't worried about their spots. Hodges is also not a possibility to be overtaken by Summers.

TE: This will be an interesting battle in preseason, as Jones and Bush fight it out for the top tight end spot. Both will see plenty of playing time, however. The iffy spots are for the next two. It seems likely I would only keep three tight ends, but I have four, so Hodel and Banks may have to fight each other for that last spot.

WR: I have seven receivers right now, and I think I can only afford to carry five. One spot is locked is set for Ritchie, the mewly-signed return man, and Boldin and Johnson are in no danger. That leaves two spots for the four remaining receivers, none of whom truly stand out from any of the others.

C: I plan to keep all three centers. Kendall starts, and Starkey is the primary backup. Swift is the long snapper. If I have to make a cut here, it will be between Starkey and Swift, but I don't think I will have to.

G: I have already changed this position a lot, and there figures to be a lot more changes coming. Davis is a lock to start at one guard, but Dishman will be competing with recently-signed Sanderson and Hodges, along with both of the backup tackles, Rodgers and Wells, for his starting spot. It is very much in the air if I will keep three non-center lineman backups or four. If I keep three, then there will be backup fights as well.

T: Shelton and Clement will both be receiving challenges from Rodgers and Wells. I don't expect any of them to be cut, but of course, the issue of how many line backups I keep affects things here as well. Really, outside of Davis and Kendall, there are no truly settled spots on the line.

P: Player is decent and has no competition. No battles here.

K: I was planning on having Bolvin and Gramatica compete, but I needed the spot and decided to keep Bolvin. So he has no competition. Of course, if he does badly, I will have no qualms in cutting him and signing another kicker, of which there are several free agents that aren't too far off from his skill level, now or in the future.

DE: I have five defensive ends, but only really need four. All five look like solid players. This could be iffy. If I can afford to keep five, then I will. Maybe I will use the fifth in a backup role as a linebacker. I don't know for sure. If I need to cut someone, though, I will likely pursue a trade rather than outright cutting the odd man out. The starting spots are also relatively open, although I suspect it will be King and Vanden Bosch, with Pace (at least) serving on passing downs.

DT: I have similar problems here, with five decent to good tackles for a probably four spots. I would also look to do a deal here, if I had to cut someone. If I couldn't pursue a deal and needed to cut someone, Marcus Bell, a DT, would likely get the first cut.

ILB: There is no meaningful competition here. McKinnon is the starter, and until he shows he is absolutely worthless, Darling will be the backup. If he were bad enough, I might look to move one of the outside backs inside as backup, since Hayes and Thompson both look like starters, but seem to lack the skills to handle the weak side.

OLB: I typed up the MLB part without really looking at the WLB, both of whom suck (that I already knew, I just didn't look with enough detail). As it turns out, Hayes or Thompson, while certainly not WLB types, are still better than the actual WLB I have. As such, it is likely Hayes will start at WLB. Darling, and the two WLB, Fisher and Woods would compete for backup spots. I may (and want to) keep six linebackers, but I may not get the choice and have to cut one. There is also the possibility that neither Thompson nor Hayes will take to the weakside. That could throw a wrench into the works. Obviously, linebacker is going to be an interesting position to watch.

CB: Let's face it. I have one legit corner and a bunch of crap after him. I need four corners, so it would seem likely I will keep at least four. I currently have six on roster. There is a wildcard, though--I may choose to play recent signee Marques Anderson somewhere. I got him for special teams play, but he might be able to do work as the nickel or dime back (he's certainly more of a cover guy than a run-stuffing safety). Anderson might even get a shot at Barrett's starting spot. If Anderson were to show an ability to handle a role as a cover corner in any of our packages, I might drop two natural corners, instead of one. Anderson's situation could have a bearing on both the corner group and the safeties.

S: The starters are safe, and I am pretty sure Anderson and Hannah make the team (the latter for his gunner skills). That means the fifth safety, Quentin Harris, will be playing for a job. Harris is a better safety than Hannah, but Hannah's special teams work would likely keep him on the team and force me to cut Harris if I didn't have room on the team for him.

CR