When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday night, there are going to be plenty of preseason positional battles going strong. In Week One, here are the four position battles we will be keeping a close eye on.
Broderick Jones vs Dan Moore Jr.
The battle for the starting left tackle spot begins now. Dan Moore has been the starter for two years but Broderick Jones is the shiny new first-round pick looking to take his job.
Joey Porter Jr. vs Levi Wallace
Another case of a veteran starter trying to hold off a flashy rookie. Levi Wallace is a solid all-around cornerback but Joey Porter Jr. has a chance to be special and will push Wallace for reps.
Nick Herbig vs Markus Golden
I suppose technically speaking there isn’t a position battle between outside linebackers Markus Golden and Nick Herbig but the two newest additions to the edge-rusher depth chart will be competing for reps behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. If both guys play well, this could be the best group of edge rushers in the league.
Kwon Alexander vs Cole Holcomb vs Elandon Roberts vs Mark Robinson
Four inside linebackers will be fighting for two starting spots and three of them are new to the team. Right now, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts are listed as the starters with Kwon Alexander and Mark Robinson as the backups. But we have to assume none of these guys have locked up a starting spot yet and all four are going to go all out.