Ranking the 4 most important NFL position battles heading into August

With NFL training camp in full swing and the preseason right around the corner, position battles are heating up across the league. This is the time for sleepers to shed that label and win over their coaches.

Let's dive into some of the biggest camp battles as outlined by FanSided's own Jason La Canfora, tracking their progress and attempting to determine the outcome — and how they could impact the broader NFL landscape.

4. Carolina Panthers: Jonathon Brooks vs. Chuba Hubbard

Any team with Bryce Young at quarterback needs a strong run game. Rico Dowdle blew past every expectation in the Carolina Panthers backfield last season, tallying 1,076 rushing yards (4.6 Y/A) and six touchdowns. He added a career-high 297 yards as a receiver as well, with Chuba Hubbard around to fill in gaps.

Is it Hubbard's job to lose now? Not necessarily. Jonathon Brooks is set to return from an almost two-year absence after he suffered a second ACL tear as a rookie. The former second-round pick out of Texas has made a strong early impression, earning praise from head coach Dave Canales, who spotlighted Brooks' elusiveness as a route-runner and out in the open field.

Brooks and Hubbard are both versatile backs, comfortable catching a pass to the outside or taking a handoff up the middle. With Brooks, there are certain mental challenges to coming back from such a long absence. He needs to learn to trust his knee again. Still, the talent is immense, and the Panthers wouldn't draft him in the second round without planning to one day feature him atop the depth chart.

As one GM told La Canfora: "The kid from Texas is going to be the guy there."

So long as Brooks keeps up his current momentum in camp, expect Hubbard to slide into the RB2, third-down role once again.

3. Dallas Cowboys: Cobie Durant vs. Shavon Revel Jr. vs. Devin Moore

The Dallas Cowboys were the NFL equivalent of Two Face last season. On one side, an explosive, dynamic offense. On the other, a historically bad defense. In the end, the latter prevented the Cowboys from ever seriously contending for a playoff spot. There's a lot more optimism around Dallas this summer, but new defensive coordinator Christian Parker still has much to figure out.

Dallas hit a home run in the NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State Swiss army knife Caleb Downs in the first round. He's nominally a safety, or in Dallas' specific case the nickel back. But Downs does everything. The Cowboys also have All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland on the outside, which sets a strong foundation in the defensive backfield.

Training camp will determine who lines up opposite Bland, however. That second cornerback spot belonged to 2025 third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. at the beginning of the offseason. He started in five of seven appearances as a rookie and showed promise. That said, newcomer Cobie Durant, whom Dallas inked to a one-year, $5.5 million contract in free agency, could disrupt the order of things.

After all, the Durant signing came after Parker was hired as DC, whereas Revel hails from a past regime. The Cowboys could also look at incoming fourth-round pick Devin Moore, who came up with two interceptions and a sack in his senior year at Florida.

Last weekend, La Canfora gave the edge to Durant, writing that he "expect[s] Downs to be heavy in the slot and Bland is obviously CB1, and Durant has the skillset to be the other boundary corner." It has felt like the signs pointed to Durant since April, frankly.

2. Minnesota Vikings: JJ McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray

The Minnesota Vikings are — on paper — a contender.

Last season was a nightmare start to finish, but any team with Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones and TJ Hockeson is built to win — especially with Kevin O'Connell calling the shots. What Minnesota desperately lacked last season was a healthy, competent quarterback. The J.J. McCarthy experiment went sideways. The decision to not pay Sam Darnold, once praised, turned out to be catastrophic.

The Vikings are now left with a decision: Run it back with McCarthy and hope he can take a year-two ("three") leap, or hand the keys to veteran Kyler Murray, a former No. 1 pick and two-time Pro Bowler who signed a minimum contract after the Cardinals bought him out.

The vibes in camp are mixed. Murray entered the summer as the clear favorite, but 28-year-old has also grumbled about splitting reps and struggled to find his rhythm in a new scheme. McCarthy, meanwhile, is generating positive reviews. Granted, McCarthy did nothing but generate positive reviews last summer, and that proved moot. He has to show it on the field in live action, against actual opponents.

Murray's experience and pedigree, plus the unique wrinkles he can add as a runner, probably give him the leg up still. To quote La Canfora again, "I’m not sure it’s much of a fight."

That said, McCarthy is at least keeping things interesting. Getting this decision right could determine whether Minnesota is back in the playoffs or scrambling to introduce a new quarterback six weeks into the campaign, so there's a lot of pressure on O'Connell and the coaching staff.

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza vs. Kirk Cousins

Another quarterback battle of consequence is taking place with the Las Vegas Raiders. After their disastrous 2025 campaign, the Raiders landed the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana. While there is no shortage of confidence in Mendoza from the masses, rookie quarterbacks tend to require a bit of seasoning. A bit of patience.

It therefore came as no surprise when the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins following his departure from the Falcons. It was a natural schematic fit, as Cousins will join up with former Kyle Shanahan and Kevin O'Connell disciple Klint Kubiak. Kubiak, who led Seattle to a Super Bowl in his lone season as offensive coordinator, loves to spread the field and spam play action, which is where Cousins thrived prior to his dour stint in Atlanta.

Cousins is 37 years old, with injury history and clear athletic limitations. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2024, when he threw 16 in a 14-game span. Last season, he trimmed that number to five and threw 10 touchdowns in eight starts. While Cousins is largely immobile in the pocket these days, he's still a sharp processor with a wealth of experience. That corporate knowledge could help him win the job come Week 1.

That was always the plan. Kubiak essentially said as much once the Cousins signing was official. Still, camp is an opportunity for Mendoza to put his full talent on display and hopefully show that he's ahead of the curve. The Raiders are far more invested in Mendoza than Cousins. If the rookie looks the part and outperforms Cousins head-to-head, it will be hard to glue him to the bench. ESPN's Mina Kimes clearly believes Mendoza can climb the ladder quickly.

As for La Canfora, he expects Cousins to win the job in camp. But he does not expect that arrangement to last deep into the season: "Cousins gets the first month or so, but Mendoza by Week 6."

The Raiders are a much better team than they were a year ago, but Las Vegas is hardly expected to contend for a Super Bowl. If the Raiders come out of the gate slow in a hyper-competitive division, expect the pendulum to eventually swing in Mendoza's direction.

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