Summer Scramble: AFC North Position Battles to Watch

It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we look at the AFC North's looming position battles.
·Browns quarterback: The choice is between former Notre Dame star and first-round pick Brady Quinn, who has played in just four NFL games, and Derek Anderson, who was the starter for 15 games in 2007 and nine last year. Late in the 2008 season, Browns coach Romeo Crennel said Quinn would be the starting quarterback in 2009, a proclamation that would bode well for Quinn...if Crennel were still the coach. But of course, Crennel was fired and replaced by Eric Mangini, who has declared this an open competition for training camp.

It's hard to believe the Browns are overly excited by either choice, since they were dangling both guys in pre-draft trade talks. The sense is that Quinn has the edge, since the team isn't going to contend this year anyway and it did spend a first-round pick on him just two years ago and probably hasn't given up on the idea of him as the face of the franchise. And there are financial reasons (a large, non-guaranteed 2010 salary and post-2009 roster bonus) to believe they're not planning to commit to Anderson long-term. But Quinn will have to spend August showing Mangini he can lead an NFL offense -- something Anderson actually did with some measure of success for a full season in 2007.

·Steelers third receiver: Nate Washington's free-agent defection to Tennessee has opened a spot in the Steelers' receiving corps. Santonio Holmes and banged-up veteran Hines Ward are the top two WRs on the team, but Pittsburgh will spend much of its camp figuring out how much depth it has at the position. The candidates for the No. 3 spot are second-year man Limas Sweed, rookie Mike Wallace and free agent signee Shaun McDonald. Wallace is the burner of the group but lacks experience. The veteran McDonald has plenty of experience and probably fits the bill best if the Steelers are looking for a traditional, quick slot receiver. But it's Sweed on whom most eyes will be focused. He's the guy who should step up and win the job, based on his talent and the year he's already spent in the system. But people remember his dropped touchdown pass in the AFC Championship game, and he's going to have to work hard in camp to overcome some negative perceptions about him that surfaced during his rookie season.

·Bengals strong-side linebacker: It's a surprise that this would be listed as a "battle," since starter Rashad Jeanty made 99 tackles last year and is known as one of Cincinnati's toughest and most consistent defensive players. But the reason this is the position to watch is because it's the most likely spot at which second-round draft pick Rey Maualuga will find playing time. Maualuga was a middle linebacker at USC, but the Bengals' coaching staff has made it plain that Jeanty's spot is the one at which he'll fit for them, either in a backup role or as the starter if he manages to out-hit the veteran in camp. Jeanty is taking the competition seriously, and those who've seen Maualuga practice in the off-season workouts fully expect him to bring the all-out, borderline maniacal style for which he became known in college to Kentucky with him.

·Ravens inside linebacker: This is the battle to replace Bart Scott, who did such a good job of keeping blockers off of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs before leaving (along with defensive coordinator Rex Ryan) for the Jets following the 2008 season. The competition looks to be between 2008 third-round draft pick Tavares Gooden and another second-year guy, Jameel McClain. Gooden has the size and speed to make himself the favorite, and he performed well on special teams in 2008 before an injury ended his season prematurely. But McClain, the former Syracuse LB who made the team as an undrafted free agent a year ago, is used to being the underdog and surprising people. He's likely to get plenty of work as a pass-defense specialist anyway, but there's a chance he plays well enough to unseat Gooden in the spot next to the veteran Lewis.

Tomorrow: AFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
Tuesday, July 21: NFC South Position Battles to Watch
Wednesday, July 22: NFC South Burning Questions and Prediction