14 most depressing NFL training camp battles of 2025

Training camp is when NFL depth charts are set. Rising young players become starters. Aging veterans fade into complementary roles or out of the locker room entirely. With only 704 starting offensive and defensive slots to fill each year, these battles are fierce and closely followed as the roster cut-down date -- August 27 at 4 p.m. ET in 2025 -- looms.

But some of these competitions are rosier than others. Not every wideout is competing to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. Not every edge rusher is on the brink of a double-digit sack breakout.

As a result we're left with important, if not entirely compelling, battles at key positions. Inclusion on this list doesn't mean a player locked in battle for a significant role is bad. It could simply mean they're inexperienced and waiting for their chance to break through on Sundays. Or that they're a well-traveled veteran who could shine when given the opportunity.

Instead, let's just call these the least sexy position battles of 2025.

Indianapolis Colts QB: Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones

Let's begin with the obvious. Two former top-10 picks have had their luster dimmed due to various factors, not least of which has been injury (see: Richardson's dislocated pinky in Indianapolis' preseason opener). Richardson and Jones are both tall passers who can use their legs to escape bad situations. They both throw downfield with varying (minor) degrees of success. That's about it for stylistic similarities.

Richardson works best as a bomb-lobbing downfield threat. His 56 throws that traveled at least 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage were 11th most in the NFL last season, which is remarkable considering he only played 11 games (he averaged about one more deep ball per game than Josh Allen, who led the league in such passes last season). He only completed about 25 percent of those attempts, which is a big factor in why his completion percentage in 2024 was a robust 47.8 percent.

Jones has thrived in the opposite scenario. He led the New York Giants to a postseason win by executing a run-heavy game plan that favored safe, short checkdowns. His most efficient season came in 2022 while averaging 6.3 air yards per attempt with a 4.4 percent deep ball rate -- both 33rd best in a field of 33 qualified quarterbacks.

Flanking both is a balanced crop of skill players. Jonathan Taylor looked like his old self last season, though a rebuilt interior of his offensive line could affect his 2025 success. Michael Pittman, Josh Downs and a Alec Pierce/Adonai Mitchell combination provide stability and potential at wideout. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren plays football with the speed and ferocity of a mother moose protecting her cubs. There's a chance everything clicks here and one of these mercurial quarterbacks thrives. History suggests that's a risky bet to make.

Cleveland Browns QB: Joe Flacco vs. Kenny Pickett vs. Dillon Gabriel vs. Shedeur Sanders vs. Tyler Huntley

This was a four-man race before, incredibly, a 40-year-old Joe Flacco wound up as the only healthy member of the quarterback room. That brought Huntley into the mix, giving Cleveland a Pro Bowl quarterback (please do not look up Tyler Huntley's stats that Pro Bowl season).

Flacco thrived in 2023, pushing Cleveland to the playoffs and winning AP Comeback Player of the Year in a season where he played five regular season games. He was more efficient as a passer last year with the Colts, but went just 2-4 as a starter and was generally a slightly below average quarterback as his deep ball success regressed back toward his career mean.

That could still make him better than Pickett, who is capable of some very nice back shoulder sideline throws but also liable for floated, interceptable passes and bad decisions. He was solid with a clean pocket in limited action as an Eagle, but the Browns may not be able to offer much of that after recording the league's third-worst pressure rate last season.

Gabriel and Sanders are accomplished college quarterbacks who bring warts to the next level. Neither has made appreciable progress up the depth chart this summer, in part due to minor injuries. Huntley is a useful runner who completed one of 10 deep balls last season despite playing for a Miami Dolphins offense with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in the lineup. He remained unsigned into August for a reason.

Dallas Cowboys RB1: Javonte Williams vs. Miles Sanders vs. Jaydon Blue

• Javonte Williams' rushing yards over expected (RYOE) the past four seasons: 11 (2021), -3 (2022), -83 (2023), -83 (2023)

• Miles Sanders' rushing yards over expected (RYOE) the past four seasons: 37 (2021), 94 (2022), -54 (2023), -44 (2024)

We don't have that data for Blue because he's a rookie fifth-round pick. He only had one season at Texas with more than 65 carries, which paints him as a part-time option in Dallas. But if he shines, it may not be too difficult to slide into a starting role as a rookie.

Miami Dolphins boundary corners: Storm Duck vs. Jack Jones vs. Cam Smith vs. Jason Marshall Jr.

Duck outplayed expectations as a seventh-round rookie last season. Now he's the most experienced returning member of the secondary after playing juuuuust over a third of the team's defensive snaps last fall.

Around him is an unsteady mix of young and old. Jones arrives after giving up eight touchdowns in coverage last season for the Las Vegas Raiders. Smith was a 2023 second round pick who has zero starts and just 153 forgettable NFL snaps to his name. Marshall is a rookie fifth round pick who was an active playmaker at Florida but played just seven games in 2024 due to an upper body injury and had only two interceptions as a Gator -- none after 2022.

Even slot corner could be an adventure in south Florida. Mike Hilton has excelled in that role in the past, but is coming off one of his least effective seasons (in fairness, the entire Bengal defense was bad in 2024) and is 31 years old.

Pittsburgh Steelers WR2: Robert Woods vs. Calvin Austin III vs. Scotty Miller vs. Ben Skowronek vs. Roman Wilson

DK Metcalf was a much needed balm for a thin receiving corps. Then Pittsburgh dealt away George Pickens, pushing the Steelers right back into that danger zone.

Austin is the longest tenured incumbent, having been a fourth round pick in 2022. He was a useful part of the offense last season -- 548 receiving yards and more than 15 yards per catch as a downfield threat -- and if anyone in this group is going to step into a larger role with Aaron Rodgers it'll be him. He's already shining in training camp.

He'll be pushed by a heady collection of players tailor made for "remembering some guys." Woods is the most established of the bunch and a space-creating blocker. He's also 33 years old and hasn't had more than 600 receiving yards in a season since 2020. Skowronek had five catches for the Steelers last season while logging more special teams snaps than offensive ones. Miller also had five catches for Pittsburgh last year. Wilson played five total snaps his rookie season thanks to injury.

With Arthur Smith calling plays and Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith on the roster there will likely be plenty of 12 personnel formations to mask that lack of depth. But Aaron Rodgers can't rely on his tight ends forever. Someone has to step up.

Cincinnati Bengals edge rushers: Trey Hendrickson vs. Shemar Stewart vs. Joseph Ossai vs. Myles Murphy vs. Cam Sample

This is a depressing station of the Bengals' own design. Hendrickson has yet to practice as he jousts for a new contract. First round pick Stewart, a massive, twitchy ball of potential with 4.5 total sacks in three seasons at Texas A&M, lost important development time in a contract standoff of his own when Cincinnati attempted to get him to sign a deal that would void some of the guarantees standard in a rookie contract.

If Hendrickson and his 17.5 sacks (out of the Bengals' 36 total last year) aren't available, Cincinnati is in trouble. Hendrickson had an 18.9 percent pressure rate last fall. No one on the team who played more than six pass rushing snaps was higher than 13.7 percent. Murphy, a 2023 first round pick, could blossom into something more -- he was second to Hendrickson in both pressure rate and get-off time (0.73 seconds to 0.81) but failed to record a sack last season.

Ossai had five sacks as a situational pass rusher last season and, at age 25, maintains the capacity to make a leap. Sample missed the 2024 season and only started three games in the three seasons that preceded it. There are useful depth options and situational rushers here, but little in terms of proven NFL production (or, in Stewart's case, college production) if Hendrickson doesn't show.

Detroit Lions non-Aidan Hutchinson edge rushers: Marcus Davenport vs. Josh Paschal vs. Al-Quadin Muhammad vs. Ahmed Hassanein

Hutchinson is returning from a broken leg, but on pace to once again be a menace to NFC North quarterbacks. He'd have an easier job if there were a constant boogeyman on the other side of the line to pinch pockets and cut off opponents' escape routes in the process.

That was supposed to be Davenport last season, but he tore his triceps in Week 2. While there's no way to know how his season would have turned out, he's also a player who has had more than six sacks a single time in seven pro seasons. Paschal had a pressure rate under 10 percent, which is a rough look for an edge rusher and is part of the reason why he has five career sacks since entering the league in 2022. Muhammad's 15.9 percent pressure rate was a career best by more than five total percentage points, but it didn't lead to many sacks (three) and now he's 30 years old. It's fair to wonder if 2024 was an outlier rather than a turned corner.

Hassanein could be the unlikely hero. The sixth round rookie was a beast at Boise State, recording 22 sacks and 33 tackles for loss his final two seasons as a Bronco. He shined in his preseason debut, winning regularly -- albeit against the Los Angeles Chargers' depth options.

Jacksonville Jaguars safeties: Eric Murray vs. Darnell Savage vs. Andrew Wingard vs. Antonio Johnson vs. Caleb Ransaw

Jacksonville's 103.4 passer rating allowed last fall was second-worst in the NFL. The arrival of Jourdan Lewis and Travis Hunter alongside Tyson Campbell will buttress the cornerback position. Things aren't as stable when it comes to over-the-top help at safety.

Murray and Savage bring plenty of starting experience to the position. Murray is nearly 32 years old, has been uneven in coverage and has posted a missed tackle rate of nearly 15 percent the last two seasons. Savage has given up a passer rating of at least 104.7 each of the last four seasons as the closest defender -- a metric that doesn't always paint an accurate picture of safety play, but does poke at his limitations in center field.

Wingard is one of the longest tenured players on the roster but used primarily as a special teams ace. Johnson is a versatile piece who can line up deep, in the slot or occasionally as an extra linebacker, though his coverage was far from perfect. Ransaw is a rookie third round pick who has been sidelined in the preseason due to injury and will be navigating the jump up from Troy to Tulane to the big leagues once healthy. He wasn't especially productive in college and is making a transition to safety full time, but has the potential to impress.

Las Vegas Raiders off-ball linebackers: Elandon Roberts vs. Germaine Pratt vs. Devin White vs. Tommy Eichenberg vs. Jamal Adams

The good news is Pete Carroll isn't wanting for experience when it comes to the middle of his defense. The bad news is Roberts and White are both in their journeyman phases and Pratt just set a career worst with 18 missed tackles in 2024. Eichenberg, on the other hand, played only nine percent of the team's snaps last season as a fifth round rookie and struggled in coverage in those limited appearances.

Roberts remains a steady tackler as he heads to his fourth NFL team, but his coverage has always been below average and won't get better now that he's in his 30s. White was a 2021 Pro Bowler who was phased out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' plans and made a single start in his lone season as a Houston Texan last fall. Pete Carroll thinks he can return to his previous All-Pro form, and if any head coach can get his reads and assignments back on track it's someone with his pedigree. But DeMeco Ryans couldn't get White there, which is concerning.

Eichenberg was an awesome college linebacker who will never disappoint for lack of effort. He's also not huge or a special athlete, so he may be limited to supporting roles in his NFL career. Adams was once valuable enough for Carroll to spend two first round draft picks to acquire but is making a transition from safety to linebacker. Which isn't that weird when you consider how much he loves hitting people and how often he was asked to do so as a Seahawk (9.5 sacks in 2020). Still, he's about to turn 30 and learning a new position.

So far the frontrunners look like Roberts (who has looked especially sharp) and Pratt. If anyone can wring the most out of these guys it's the league's oldest head coach.

Minnesota Vikings CB2: Isaiah Rodgers vs. Jeff Okudah vs. Mekhi Blackmon vs. Tavierre Thomas

Byron Murphy is Minnesota's top cornerback. A 76.7 passer rating allowed last fall helped propel the Vikings to the postseason and earned his first Pro Bowl honors.

Rodgers may be best known for sitting out 2023 due to a gambling suspension. He was uneven as an Indianapolis Colt the year prior, but stabilized as a useful depth option while winning a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles last year. The former sixth round pick is only 27 years old and has the capacity to shine -- he's been impressive in training camp and looks like a safe bet to earn a significant role in the secondary.

After that, things get dicey. Okudah has the pedigree of a former third overall pick, but the former All-American is onto his fourth team in four seasons and only played 77 defensive snaps for the Houston Texans last fall. Blackmon was solid as a third round rookie in 2023 (81.8 passer rating allowed across 52 targets) but missed the 2024 season due to a torn ACL and could have his spot in the pecking order usurped. Thomas can be a deterrent in the slot, but Pro Football Focus graded him 156th out of 171 qualified safeties last season.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has molded clay into a terrifying monster before. He trusted an unheralded secondary to be the backbone to one of the league's most aggressive units the last two years. History suggests he can do the same with this group.

New England Patriots LG/C: Caeden Wallace vs. Garrett Bradbury vs. Jared Wilson vs. Sidy Sow vs. Cole Strange vs. Ben Brown

Despite New England's league-leading amount of salary cap space, the team made modest moves when it came to adding help to one of 2024's worst offensive lines. Morgan Moses came in at right tackle on a three-year, $24 million deal. Will Campbell was a top five draft pick to handle left tackle. Mike Onwenu remains a Pro Bowl-level guard.

That leaves two interior slots to fill and a wide range of young players and veterans to fill them. Bradbury brings starting experience but has failed to live up to his former first round status; per PFF, he's been a top 20 center just once in his six NFL seasons. Strange was a first round pick no one but Bill Belichick expected in 2022. Between the jump from FCS competition at Chattanooga and injuries that have limited him to 13 games the last two seasons he's been a disappointment. Brown started 10 games last season and played roughly as well as you'd expect from someone who came into 2024 with eight career NFL snaps to his name.

That presents plenty of opportunity for prospects to step up. Wallace played right tackle at Penn State and is still transitioning to the inside. Sow is an athletic run blocker, but he went from starting 13 games as a rookie to one last season even as New England's line crumbled to pieces. Wilson is a third round rookie who has the inside track when it comes to the starting left guard role. His ability to play guard or center could be vital for the Patriots, but also puts a lot on the plate of a first year player.

New Orleans Saints WR3: Brandin Cooks vs. Bub Means vs. Mason Tipton vs. Donovan Peoples-Jones vs. Cedrick Wilson vs. Dante Pettis

With Chris Olave at the top of the depth chart, Rashid Shaheed entrenched as the team's big play threat and Juwan Johnson standing tall as more of a big wideout than a traditional tight end, the Saints have some dynamic targets for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.

Olave played eight games last season due to a head injury. Shaheed played six and has never played a full 17 games in his three-year career. Johnson's first 17-game season came last fall. There's a concerning need for depth here. The Saints may not have it.

Cooks turns 32 in September. He averaged fewer than 26 receiving yards per game last season and his 0.97 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked 114th out of 141 wide receivers who ran at least 100 routes. Peoples-Jones appeared primed for a breakthrough after an 800-yard 2022, then had 13 catches in 15 games in 2023 before spending the 2024 season on the Detroit Lions' practice squad. Wilson has one season to his credit with more than 300 receiving yards and had 20 catches last season for a New Orleans offense depleted by injury. Pettis missed the 2023 season due to injury and had 12 catches for the Saints in 2024.

That leaves room for the young guns to step up. As rookies last fall they combined for 23 catches as Means emerged as an intermediate threat. Tipton was unable to turn similar throws into first downs; his average target distance was 12.4 yards downfield but his average catch came just five yards downfield while catching only 14 of 26 passes. New Orleans didn't make any big wideout acquisitions this offseason, which could be a sign the team and new head coach Kellen Moore believes they're destined for bigger things. Or it could just be a symptom of general manager Mickey Loomis trapping his team in salary cap hell on an annual basis.

New York Jets WR2/TE1/second-best target for Justin Fields: Allen Lazard vs. Josh Reynolds vs. Tyler Johnson vs. Malachi Corley vs. Arian Smith vs. Mason Taylor vs. Jeremy Ruckert vs. Stone Smartt

The good news for Fields is he'll have Garrett Wilson atop his passing game wish list. The order after that leaves plenty of room for someone to step up.

Lazard had more than 500 receiving yards last season to clock in as the team's second-most prolific returning wideout. His 1.31 YPRR ranked 81st among receivers, behind players like Kayshon Boutte and... Tyler Johnson (1.48 playing for the Los Angeles Rams, ranked 74th). Johnson, notably, has 28 total catches over the last three seasons. Reynolds' 1.01 YPRR with the Jacksonville Jaguars clocked in at 111th best.

Corley was a third round rookie last season and turned 83 offensive snaps into three receptions and 16 yards. Smith is a fourth round rookie who can be a dynamic deep threat but had just one season with more than eight receptions in five years at the University of Georgia. If someone can't emerge from that group, offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand will have to rely on his tight ends to make a difference.

That's tricky, because the team's most talented player at the position also happens to be a rookie. Rookie tight ends often struggle to hit the ground running in the NFL. Taylor, son of Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor, is a big, mismatch-creating project who has more catches than any other tight end in LSU history but needs reps to refine his game -- a problem, since a high ankle sprain will force him to miss a least a week this preseason.

Ruckert is a blocker with fewer than 300 receiving yards in his three-year NFL career. Smartt is more of a big wideout at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, but he was efficient and effective in limited duty last season with the Los Angeles Chargers (11 first downs on 19 targets, a 68 percent success rate and 2.14 YPRR -- fifth-best among tight ends with at least 10 catches).

Tennessee Titans edge rusher: Arden Key vs. Dre'Mont Jones vs. Oluwafemi Oladejo vs. Jihad Ward vs. Jaylen Harrell

Tennessee has lots to fix after failing all the way to the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Foremost among them is a pass rush that ranked in the bottom 10 in both sack and pressure rates.

Harold Landry, who led the team with nine sacks and tied with Key atop the team leaderboard with 15 quarterback hits, is a New England Patriot. Key remains after a typically steadfast season, but his 10.1 percent pressure rate was a middling number across the spectrum of outside linebackers. He's the guy you want cleaning up messes in the pocket, not the one you can rely on to create them.

Jones, with 20.5 sacks and a pressure rate hovering between 9.9 and 10.9 percent the last four seasons, is a lot like Key; steady but unspectacular. Ward has traditionally been a little less effective as a pro, only once cracking a 7.5 percent pressure rate in the last four seasons. Harrell played in 17 games as a rookie seventh round pick last season but failed to record a quarterback hit and had only a single pressure.

This all shines a spotlight on Oladejo. The second round rookie was the ninth edge rusher selected in the 2025 NFL Draft who began his college career as an off-ball linebacker before shifting outside after transferring from Cal to UCLA. As a result, he only has six collegiate sacks in 47 games. He's an aggressive 260-pounder with long arms to shake off blocks and plays angry at all times.

But Oladejo faces a steep learning curve thanks to his relatively late position change. Tennessee will provide him plenty of opportunity to shine through an outside linebacker corps that can be most nicely described as "competent." If be can blast through that curve, he'll help solve a massive issue in Nashville.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL training camp battles of 2025 that are the most depressing