Perry: Top five position battles to watch in Patriots training camp

Bill Belichick says it every year. Spring workouts are a teaching camp. Training camp, on the other hand, is a competitive camp. Jobs are on the line. Officially.

That makes Wednesday -- the first day of Patriots training camp practice -- a good time to take stock of what we perceive to be some of the more hotly contested positional battles this summer. 

Keep in mind, the first few practices of camp will resemble what we saw in the spring. Shorts. T-shirts. But eventually the pads will come on and the competitive reps will be ratcheted up and we'll have a chance to score these matchups from one practice to the next.

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Here are five position battles to watch as camp gets underway.

Outside cornerback: Butler vs. Mills vs. Mitchell vs. Jones

This is the four-way ladder match of Patriots positional battles. There may not be a single spot settled on the outside at the moment.

Malcolm Butler and Jalen Mills look like the favorites based on experience. But Mills -- who started opposite J.C. Jackson last season -- may end up beginning camp in the slot with Jonathan Jones on the physically unable to play list.

That could leave Butler and Terrance Mitchell as the veteran options atop the depth chart. But lurking is promising rookie Jack Jones. (Fellow rookie Marcus Jones looks like a slot option.) Who has the juice to run with top Patriots receivers? Who has the ball skills to create turnovers when Mac Jones tries to test tight windows? Plenty up for grabs here. 

Inside linebacker: McMillan vs. McGrone vs. Wilson

Ja'Whaun Bentley looks like one starter off the ball. But who would be the other in a two-linebacker alignment? Raekwon McMillan had a strong camp last summer before tearing his ACL, and he's healthy once again. Cam McGrone may be the most explosive athlete of the bunch, but he has yet to take an NFL snap.

Mack Wilson brings a combination of splash-play ability and toughness that makes him an intriguing potential No. 2. Josh Uche may mix in as an off-the-ball 'backer. And we know strong safeties Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers will mix in at the second level at times.

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But one of McMillan, McGrone or Wilson should emerge as a dependable running mate with Bentley.

Edge rusher: Uche vs. Wise

This battle may hinge more on the scheme choices than performance. But this remains a critical battle nonetheless.

Coaches will tell you there's not a drastic difference between an outside linebacker's role in a 3-4 defense and a defensive end in a 4-3 defense. They're all edge defenders. But the Patriots have played a 3-4 style scheme the last several seasons, with Deatrich Wise serving as a key complementary piece despite having the body type of a 4-3 end.

If the Patriots stick with what they've done lately, Uche looks poised to be the edge opposite Matt Judon this season. Surely they'd like for him to step forward and take on a bigger role after coming into the league as an uber-athletic second-round pick in 2020. But if the Patriots roll with more 4-3 looks more often, then perhaps Wise could see an increased workload across situations.

Sub back: Taylor vs. Strong

There may only be room for one of either J.J. Taylor or Pierre Strong in the running back room in Foxboro. That could change if James White, currently on PUP, isn't ready to start the season. But for the Patriots to go out and spend a fourth-round pick on a sub back in the spring would seem to suggest that Taylor's days on the roster are numbered.

Once compared by running backs coach Ivan Fears to Dion Lewis, Taylor has an entertaining-to-watch combination of power and shiftiness for an undersized back. But he hasn't been on the field much. He has 101 offensive snaps to his name through two pro seasons.

Maybe, because of White's injury, this is Taylor's year to serve as the sub back to play when Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris don't. Maybe the Patriots will be reluctant to entrust that gig to a rookie like Strong, thereby opening the door for Taylor. (Belichick has shown before with White and Shane Vereen that starting young third-down backs slow in their careers can be beneficial.)

The fact remains, the Patriots invested a real pick in Strong this season. He should be on the roster. But if Taylor explodes? That makes this battle a fascinating one.

Swing tackle: Herron vs. Cajuste

Though there was a significant change at the two tackle spots in the spring -- with Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn flipping to left and right tackle, respectively -- things seem pretty settled for the top-five offensive linemen in New England. (David Andrews begins camp on the PUP list as he works his way back from a shoulder injury.)

After that? Justin Herron looks like the No. 3 tackle after playing over 450 snaps last year. But Yodny Cajuste, a third-round pick in 2019, could be in the mix for that third spot as well. Based on their track records, Brown and Wynn are both real risks to miss time during the season, making this under-the-radar positional battle an important one.