Ryan Mallett is in a battle to win the Patriots backup QB job. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Even as television focuses on Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel to sell fans on Thursday’s largely insignificant final preseason games, there are other battles for roster spots all over the American Football Conference that deserve attention.
In New England, fourth-year veteran Ryan Mallett is trying to hold off rookie Jimmy Garoppolo as the next man up should the Patriots great quarterback, Tom Brady, be knocked out of action.
Garoppolo, who broke Tony Romo’s passing records at Eastern Illinois, was drafted in the second round this year and has looked outstanding in preseason, throwing for 334 yards and four touchdowns while hitting 65 percent of his passes. Perhaps most significantly he is starting Thursday against the New York Giants and is expected to play more than half the game.
The results may determine if Mallett slides to No. 3 on the depth chart, assuming the Patriots keep him on the final 53-man roster at all.
Correspondents covering each team for The Sports Xchange were asked to identify the key duel in this final week of preseason. Here is a closer look at each AFC team’s Battle of the Week (listed by division in alphabetical order):
BUFFALO BILLS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Both guard positions.
The combatants include Erik Pears, Doug Legursky, Kraig Urbik, Chris Williams, and rookie Cyril Richardson.
Williams was signed as a free agent in the offseason to be the left guard, a weak position for the Bills last year. But he has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Urbik was the holdover starter at right guard, having played 98 percent of the snaps there in 2013. But he is losing playing time and reps by the day. Williams and Urbik started in the first two preseason games, Urbik and Legursky got the call in game three, and then against Tampa Bay, it was Pears and Richardson.
Pears is making a shift inside from tackle to right guard, and Richardson, a fifth-round pick, has had a pretty good camp and has earned the chance. There is no clear-cut winner at either position, but it looks as if Pears may be in the driver’s seat at right guard, and Richardson will get the call for as long as Williams can’t play. It’s not out of the question that if Williams is ready for the opener, Richardson could start at right guard, alongside another rookie, seventh-rounder Seantrel Henderson, who seems primed to start at right tackle.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Wide receiver.
In the hunt are Damian Williams, Marcus Thigpen and Armon Binns.
The Dolphins are loaded with talented wide receivers and they’ll likely keep six. If that’s the case, Williams and Thigpen will battle for the final positions behind Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Rishard Matthews and rookie Jarvis Landry. If they only keep five wide receivers, neither Williams, Thigpen nor Binns probably makes the 53-man roster. Thigpen’s advantage is he returns punts and kickoffs, but so does Williams.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Backup quarterback — Ryan Mallett vs. Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mallett, the fourth-year veteran, is being pressed for the No. 2 spot behind Tom Brady by Garoppolo, the second-round rookie with a quick release and deadly accuracy.
Mallett was thrown into action in the first quarter of the third preseason game against Carolina as head coach Bill Belichick wanted to simulate an emergency situation without warning. Later against the Panthers, Garoppolo had a few plays.
There is some debate as to whether Garroppolo is ready to make the leap from small college to the NFL, but he does seem headed in the right direction. He had a solid summer. Still, it remains questionable whether Belichick is more comfortable with his veteran backup and it is likely the Patriots will keep three quarterbacks for the first time in three years.
NEW YORK JETS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Cornerback.
The longer the preseason goes, the worse — and more depleted — the cornerback battle gets.
Dimitri Patterson, a starter by default, didn’t show up for Friday’s preseason game against the Giants. Converted safety Antonio Allen played but suffered a concussion. So with Patterson’s future availability up in the air, Allen and Dee Milliner (high ankle sprain) questionable at best for the regular-season opener and Dexter McDougle out for the season, the Jets are looking at a potential cornerback combo of … well, who?
The most impressive corners against the Giants were little-used fourth-year veteran Darrin Walls and journeyman LaQuan Lewis, who has spent time with eight different teams despite playing in just eight NFL games. In other words: This is one “battle” that will certainly go down to the final preseason game on Thursday.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Safety.
Rookie free safety Terrence Brooks had a sack against the Washington Redskins and had an interception nullified due to a penalty. He’s pushing veteran Darian Stewart for the starting job. At the least, Brooks has earned more playing time and is expected to play in nickel packages.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
–BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Backup running back.
Assuming the Bengals keep four halfbacks, there are three players battling for the final two spots, and all three are dinged.
Rex Burkhead, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Cedric Peerman were on the sideline Tuesday for the team’s last practice before the preseason finale Thursday night against Indianapolis.
Burkhead is the most seriously hurt of the group with a right knee injury suffered in the second preseason game Aug. 16 against the New York Jets. Peerman left Sunday night’s game in Arizona with an apparent hip injury.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: No. 3 running back — Dion Lewis vs. Chris Ogbonnaya.
This is a role more likely to be won in practice than in preseason. Right now, though, the edge belongs to Lewis. He has 10 preseason carries for 21 yards and five catches for 16 yards. Ogbonnaya lost five yards in his only preseason carry. Lewis was having an excellent training camp last summer until a broken leg ended his season. Ogbonnaya is a versatile player and can also play fullback. This could go down to the final cuts.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Defensive end.
With the re-signing of Brett Keisel for his 13th season with the Steelers, a new battlefront opened up in the competition leading up to the regular-season opener.
Keisel started at right defensive end the past nine seasons and he wants to regain that job. Cam Heyward holds down that position now, but he can easily move to the left side, where he started some last season after he bumped Ziggy Hood from his job. Cam Thomas, signed as a free agent from San Diego this year, has been starting at left defensive end, competing with rookie Stephon Tuitt. Will Keisel start? No one is counting him out.
HOUSTON TEXANS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Backup running back.
Veteran Jonathan Grimes is competing with rookie Alfred Blue to back up starting running back Arian Foster when the regular season begins.
Grimes started the first two preseason games and led the team in rushing. Blue started against Denver and ran for 27 yards on nine carries. Grimes came off the bench and added five carries for 22 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 24-yard catch. It’s too close to call. Both will play against San Francisco. Blue looks like he could be a steal in the sixth round.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Punt returner.
Wide receiver Griff Whalen and rookie cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy figure to be the top two candidates to supplant wide receiver T.Y. Hilton for the job.
While Hilton did a good job as the Colts’ punt returner last season, his value as a receiver in the team’s offensive attack could keep him off special teams. Whalen and Purifoy are sharing the punt return duties in the preseason, along with wide receiver Josh Lenz. Lenz, though, fumbled in his only punt return attempt against the Saints last Saturday night.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Interior offensive line.
It’s been ongoing since the start of training camp, but the battle for starting jobs at the center and right-guard spots will really heat up this week.
Not only are starting jobs at stake, but a roster spot could be as well. What was a three-man battle for the two positions in the middle of the offensive line, has now become a four-way tussle. Rookie Luke Bowanko did not appear to be among the contenders for a starting spot until a strong showing in practice and last week against Chicago. It now looks like Bowanko will engage in a battle with Jacques McClendon for the center job while another rookie, Brandon Linder, will compete with Mike Brewster for starting rights at right guard.
All four players have been used at both positions however, so even if they were to lose their current battle, they could still be a contender for the other starting spot. Both rookies are almost sure bets to make the roster and McClendon continues to draw strong praise from Bradley for his work. That could leave Brewster as the odd man out if he doesn’t win a starting job.
TENNESSEE TITANS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Kicker.
The Titans’ kicking competition between Maikon Bonani and Travis Coons looks like it will go right down to the wire. Bonani made two field goals Saturday night after he had struggled earlier in the preseason. There is still the possibility the Titans could sift through the cuts of other teams to find a superior option, if one exists.
Neither Bonani nor Coons have ever kicked in a regular-season game and both have had issues – Bonani with consistency and Coons with leg strength – at times in preseason.
DENVER BRONCOS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Defensive tackle.
The toughest cuts on the roster will come at defensive tackle, where veterans Kevin Vickerson, Mitch Unrein and Sione Fua are battling for one, or perhaps two, positions. Vickerson started most of last year, but with Sylvester Williams having supplanted him, he’s in a rotational role as he completes recovery from a dislocated hip. Unrein has been a backup and has enjoyed a solid preseason. Fua was a midseason pickup from the Panthers last year, and has been outstanding in preseason games, particularly against the 49ers.
Money could impact on the decision. The Broncos are close to the 2014 salary cap, and Vickerson carries a $2.5 million price tag, including $1 million guaranteed. Unrein signed a restricted free agent tender and is scheduled to make $1.431 million this year, but that is not guaranteed. Fua carries a $600,000 cost.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Middle linebacker.
The starter at middle linebacker was not in question two weeks ago for the Chiefs. The job belonged to journeyman Joe Mays until he suffered a torn tendon in his wrist during the second preseason game. Surgery came a few days later and while a prognosis has not been made public, head coach Andy Reid said Mays will be out “for a while.”
That opens the doors for three players on the Chiefs defensive roster to earn starts and playing time: Josh Mauga, Nico Johnson and Frank Zombo. Any one of the three could be starting next to Derrick Johnson on the first snap of the opener against Tennessee. Mauga was signed after training camp started; he was on the street after being released by the New York Jets. Johnson was the Chiefs fourth-round choice in the 2013 NFL Draft. Zombo has spent his NFL career at outside linebacker for the Packers and Chiefs.
Right now the edge appears to belong to Mauga because of his familiarity with coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme that he first learned when both men were with the Jets.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Cornerback — Neiko Thorpe vs. Chimdi Chekwa.
Thorpe missed considerable practice time with a hamstring strain but returned to action against the Packers and graded out well. A 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner from Auburn, Thorpe last played for the Chiefs in 2012. He was waived last year and caught on with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Chekwa is recovering from a knee injury and was playing as a starter in the nickel defense as an outside corner. A concussion to Tarell Brown, one of the two starters along with Carlos Rogers, further complicates matters.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Backup running back.
Brendan Oliver and Marion Grice continue to provide one of the most spirited position battles of preseason.
Neither is expected to get a ton of playing time in the regular season, not with Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown ahead of them. But things can change fast and that’s why the Chargers are considering carrying a fourth running back.
Although, that might be a stretch as well with fullback David Johnson all but locking down a roster spot.
So would the team really have five backs on its roster? Although technically, Johnson is listed as a tight end.
It’s possible in that Oliver has been one of the real bright spots in the practices leading up to the opener. And Grice as well has shown the versatility which had the Chargers draft him in the sixth round.
Against the 49ers, it was Grice in the spotlight as he had a team-high seven carries. And he didn’t disappoint with 36 yards for a nifty 5.1-yard average.
Oliver got but three carries and didn’t hurt his cause with 12 yards.
Both got a chance fielding a kickoff and there’s not much separation there with Oliver having a 26-yard return and Grice adding a 24-yarder.
Oliver has a team-high 90 yards on 19 carries. Grice is at 88 yards on a team-high 24 rushes.
It’s possibly both players will end up on the practice squad; also possible they won’t stay there long. With the starters getting the final preseason game off, it’ll be the final time Oliver and Grice can make a lasting impression.
–Frank Cooney, founder and publisher of The Sports Xchange and NFLDraftScout.com, covered the NFL and the draft since the 1960s and is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
