Last Updated on August 4, 2026 1:38 pm by Erwin Noguera
Most training camp competitions do not matter. Backup roster spots, special teams jobs, the fourth receiver; they get covered because there is nothing else happening in August, and by October nobody remembers who won. A handful are different. Some of the battles running right now will decide whether a Super Bowl contender protects its quarterback, whether a franchise commits to a rebuild, and whether one of the NFL’s best offenses actually functions.
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Here are the ones that could change seasons.
Dallas Cowboys — Left Tackle: Tyler Guyton vs. Nate Thomas
The highest-stakes offensive line battle in football, and the reason is simple. Dallas has the potential to field one of the top offenses in the NFL if the pass protection improves. If it does not, they have an expensive skill group and nowhere to throw from.
The Cowboys have not had good left tackle play since Tyron Smith left after the 2023 season. Tyler Guyton, the 2024 first-round pick, has struggled as a run blocker and surrendered too many pressures. Brian Schottenheimer publicly put him on notice, which reads as motivational. Nate Thomas was a 2024 seventh-rounder who did not play well in four starts last year.
But Thomas has apparently improved enough in year two to make it a real competition, and there is a detail that should worry Dallas more than either name: Tyler Smith is still being asked whether he would move to left tackle if things get dire. Teams do not ask that question when they are confident.
Why it changes the season: Everything about the Dallas offense runs through protection. A seventh-round pick winning this job would be one of the biggest stories of camp, and not in a good way.
Chicago Bears — Left Tackle: Braxton Jones vs. Jedrick Wills Jr. vs. Theo Benedet
Caleb Williams’ blindside is unsettled heading into August, and the man who was supposed to solve it is not available.
Ozzy Trapilo will not be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a patellar tendon injury. That leaves Braxton Jones, who was not playing well before last season’s injury; 14 quarterback pressures and two sacks allowed across just four starts, per Next Gen Stats. Jedrick Wills Jr. flashed early in his career but has played 13 games in three seasons and sat out all of 2025 entirely. Theo Benedet is the long shot.
There is a second competition on the same line at center, where second-round rookie Logan Jones could push Garrett Bradbury for the starting job.
Why it changes the season: Chicago’s offense is expected to take a real step in year two under Ben Johnson. That does not happen if Williams is running for his life. Do not be surprised if the Bears add another veteran tackle before Week 1.
Philadelphia Eagles — Edge Rusher: Jalyx Hunt vs. Nolan Smith Jr.
There are not many defensive camp battles that matter, because teams rotate so heavily on the line and in the secondary that losing a starting job rarely means losing snaps. This one is an exception, and it will decide who gets paid.
Philadelphia traded for Jonathan Greenard, which told you everything about how they viewed their pass rush. The spot opposite him is open. Nolan Smith Jr. was key during the 2024 Super Bowl run and then suffered a triceps injury in the Lombardi-lifting game itself — his 2025 never recovered the same bite. Jalyx Hunt led the club with 6.5 sacks last season and looks like the smoother fit in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
Why it changes the season: A Fangio defense is only as good as its four-man rush. And the winner here is very likely the one Philadelphia commits to long-term.
Cleveland Browns — Quarterback: Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders
This one does not change a season. It changes a franchise.
Deshaun Watson has missed 66 games over the past five seasons and has been out for 21 months. Players do not typically improve during absences that long. Shedeur Sanders showed flashes as a rookie and a willingness to hunt big plays, but was mostly inconsistent and needs to process considerably faster to start.
Neither has an overwhelming edge, which makes it a genuinely open competition rather than a formality. The likelihood that both play at some point this season is extremely high.
Why it changes the season: Cleveland is not winning anything in 2026. What this camp decides is whether the organisation finally moves on from Watson and starts building around a young quarterback, or spends another year finding out.
Minnesota Vikings — Quarterback: Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy
The widest range of outcomes of any battle in the league.
The assumption when Murray signed was that he would walk into the job. Kevin O’Connell has insisted repeatedly that it is a genuine competition. Murray is a highlight machine when he is clicking and has been badly inconsistent in recent years, particularly on downfield throws. He also carries injury history, as does McCarthy.
The honest read on McCarthy is stark. He was woeful last season and cannot keep sailing throws well over Justin Jefferson’s head. He could win the starting job outright, or he could be off the roster before Week 1. There is very little in between.
Why it changes the season: Minnesota’s entire year rests on O’Connell (one of the best offensive minds in football) getting a functional season out of whichever quarterback he picks. If Murray does not fit the scheme, the door reopens for McCarthy, and Minnesota’s ceiling collapses either way.
Las Vegas Raiders — Quarterback: Kirk Cousins vs. Fernando Mendoza
This is not really Cousins versus Mendoza. It is Mendoza versus himself.
Klint Kubiak said back in March that he would prefer to start a veteran from day one and give a rookie time to acclimate, and there is nothing to suggest he was posturing. Cousins knows the offense and finished last season better than most analysts acknowledge. Mendoza, the first overall pick, is learning an entirely new way of quarterbacking in Kubiak’s scheme.
The plan is a Drake Maye timeline; the Patriots gave Maye his first start in Week 6 of his rookie year. But if Mendoza comes out firing in camp and the preseason, plans change quickly. Nothing energises a franchise like a rookie quarterback flashing.
Why it changes the season: If Mendoza forces his way onto the field in September rather than October, Las Vegas stops being an irrelevant year and starts being an evaluation.
Pittsburgh Steelers — Running Back: Jaylen Warren vs. Rico Dowdle
Not a winner-take-all battle — backs share snaps in 2026, and Pittsburgh will rotate. What matters is the shape of the rotation.
Jaylen Warren makes big plays and offers dual-threat ability, but was overshadowed for long stretches last season by Kenny Gainwell, who has departed. Rico Dowdle arrives with experience in Mike McCarthy’s offense and back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with two different teams. A third would make him the first running back in NFL history to do it with three different clubs in three consecutive years.
Dowdle brings the power element McCarthy wants and plays to the strength of the offensive line.
Why it changes the season: Pittsburgh is running a 42-year-old quarterback in a division with two Super Bowl contenders. The run game is not a complement to this offense; it is the offense.
Atlanta Falcons — Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa vs. Michael Penix Jr.
Health will decide this before performance does.
Penix could not participate in 11-on-11 work during summer sessions as he recovers from his knee injury, and while he was expected to be cleared for camp, nobody knows how close to full strength he will be. Tagovailoa has taken the majority of reps in the new offense and has a clear head start.
The more telling fact is organisational. The current administration did not draft Penix and is not married to him. They chose to bring in Tagovailoa, whose quick-trigger game fits how Kevin Stefanski wants to run this offense.
Why it changes the season: This is Tua’s job to lose. Which means it is also the moment Atlanta decides whether Penix has a future there at all.
Detroit Lions — Offensive Line: Right Tackle and Left Guard
Two competitions on the same line, both open, both consequential for a team trying to recover from a disappointing season.
At right tackle, rookie Blake Miller was assumed to walk into the job since draft night, but Larry Borom is a genuine option — Brad Holmes spoke glowingly about his right tackle ability before the draft. A team needing a hot start might take the veteran early.
At left guard, Christian Mahogany has the inside track and struggled badly last year. Ben Bartch, Juice Scruggs and Miles Frazier are all in the mix.
Why it changes the season: Detroit’s line will determine whether the offense returns to its former form. Both battles are unsettled two weeks before Week 1, which is not where a contender wants to be.
Detroit Lions — Offensive Line: Right Tackle and Left Guard
Two competitions on the same line, both open, both consequential for a team trying to recover from a disappointing season.
At right tackle, rookie Blake Miller was assumed to walk into the job since draft night, but Larry Borom is a genuine option; Brad Holmes spoke glowingly about his right tackle ability before the draft. A team needing a hot start might take the veteran early.
At left guard, Christian Mahogany has the inside track and struggled badly last year. Ben Bartch, Juice Scruggs and Miles Frazier are all in the mix.
Why it changes the season: Detroit’s line will determine whether the offense returns to its former form. Both battles are unsettled two weeks before Week 1, which is not where a contender wants to be.
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