Jets Training Camp Battles: Offense

Let's take a look on offense where there might be position battles in training camp and which positions are locks for the Jets.

Let's get competitiony!

Right Guard: The addition of James Carpenter gives the Jets just one open spot at guard. There are three players battling for this spot who can credibly make the claim to be an incumbent starter. You have Brian Winters, recovering from a serious knee injury, who has not shown much promise in his two years. You have Willie Colon, who is in decline and commits too many penalties. You also have Oday Aboushi, who played uneven ball last year stepping in for Winters in October. There are a pair of wild cards in this mix, middle round picks from the last two years Dakota Dozier and Jarvis Harrison. This one is wide open.

Fullback: This is a battle of old school vs. new school at the position. J.C. Copeland profiles as a pure lead blocker while Tommy Bohanon provides a receiving threat at the position. One might think the edge would go to Bohanon with Chan Gailey perhaps installing an up tempo, shotgun system, but Bohanon is not very explosive as a receiving threat out of the backfield and is coming off a serious injury.

Clear favorite but could change under certain circumstances.

Quarterback: If the coaches are to be believed, Geno Smith is getting the first crack to start at quarterback, but he could lose the job. If Geno falls apart in training camp and preseason or Ryan Fitzpatrick lights it up, the Week 1 start could go to Fitzpatrick. You even have to account for the small possibility Bryce Petty could take to the pro game quicker than anybody expects. The smart money would be on Geno Smith getting the nod at least to start the season, but it is not a lock.

Wide Receiver #3: In today's NFL, the third receiver is almost a regular player. Jeremy Kerley is a proven solid option out of the slot. Second round pick Devin Smith could take his playing time if he shows he is ready to contribute. I'm not sure how much time Smith would see out of the slot. At the start of his career, I would expect the Jets to use him running deep routes to overlap the familiar role he had in college. What might happen would be Smith showing he could make an impact as a deep threat and using Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker in the slot more to take advantage of favorable matchups against typically smaller corners. In some ways this is academic. Kerley and Smith are both likely to see their fair share of snaps. Smith's progress will determine the ratio he and Kerley get.

Running Back: A lot of people assume Chris Ivory has a lock on the top spot in the backfield. As the incumbent coming off a pair of successful years with the Jets, he probably has a leg up. It is worth noting that the new regime added Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy. Ivory's career high in rushing yards is 833. Both Stacy and Ridley have seasons that top that since 2012. It isn't inconceivable that either could jump him.