You may not expect a quarterback battle to heat up in camp for the Falcons, but the backup spot behind Matt Ryan could be a hot contest between second-year QB Sean Renfree and recently-added TJ Yates. Renfree had a solid career at Duke and has some proving to do after an injury shelved him for 2013.

When the Falcons traded Akeem Dent to Houston for QB TJ Yates, the assumption was that Yates would be the automatic No. 2 behind Ryan. We have yet to see what Yates can do in a Falcons uniform, although his accomplishments in three years in Houston are encouraging. Head coach Mike Smith likes competition so it's not a lock that Yates is just going to slide into that No. 2 spot.

When Sean Weatherspoon went down with a season-ending Achilles injury, things got shaky at linebacker. Thankfully, second-year LB Joplo Bartu had been taking Spoon's snaps in OTAs and minicamp at inside linebacker while Spoon recovered from an offseason procedure, so there's some comfortability there.

While Bartu might have the inside track to locking down the starting job, Falcons coaches have been raving about rookie linebacker Prince Shembo, who brings versatility and toughness to the position. We've heard that Shembo will be involved in the defense in some way, and you can expect him to push Bartu hard throughout camp. This could be the best battle on the field this year.

The center position has seen some inconsistencies since longtime center Todd McClure's retirement, but Joe Hawley has been putting in some solid work this offseason while continuing to develop his relationship with Ryan. He might be the favorite to start at center Week 1 right now, but he'll have to fend off Peter Konz.

The Falcons were surprised when Wisconsin's Peter Konz fell in their laps in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, but Konz's first two seasons with the Falcons have been full of moves. A center in college, Konz cross-trained and played guard his rookie season before eventually moving back to center last year. Hawley eventually took over and Konz went back to guard, but camp could show more of where Konz could be lining up in 2014.

Perhaps one of the most underrated of the Falcons' 2014 offseason moves was adding Dwight Lowery to the roster. A promising safety who impressed during offseason work, Lowery has been the victim of injury during his career. If he can stay healthy, he could lock down the spot next to William Moore fairly quickly.

Rookie safety Dezmen Southward is an athlete. He passes the eye test, and when you see him move in practice, it's easy to tell that he has a nose for coverage. Another first-year player the coaching staff talked up during the offseason, Southward will push Lowery for the starting spot, but either way will likely have a strong special teams role in Year 1.

Perhaps the most important position to the Falcons defense under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is the nickelback spot, and there's a huge battle here between three veterans. Robert McClain, who has spent two seasons with the Falcons, had a great offseason of work and saw plenty of reps at the No. 1 spot at nickel. Will that continue in camp?

Javier Arenas comes in as a notable kick and punt returner, but with Devin Hester on the Falcons roster now, Arenas will be fighting McClain for the nickelback spot on defense. Arenas showed promise during the offseason, but the nickel spot is as close as any. A solid body of work during XFinity training camp could bode well for the Alabama product.

Another veteran in the nickel fray is Josh Wilson, who joined the Falcons as a free agent from the Washington Redskins. Wilson might have an uphill battle to push for the starting nickel spot, but he shows at the very least an ability to be a solid depth player in a defense that relies on rotation.

If the Falcons carry six wide receivers this year, which head coach Mike Smith has mentioned, one of the more fun battles could be between virtual clones Darius Johnson and Bernard Reedy. Johnson was in Reedy's shoes last year as an undrafted rookie, but he now has a year of solid experience under his belt. Will that make the difference?

Perhaps no name was more prevalent among rookies during mandatory minicamp in June than undrafted wideout Bernard Reedy, who impressed fans, coaches and media members alike with blazing speed. He ran with what you'd call the first-team during minicamp and seemed to have good chemistry with Ryan. He'll need to build on that momentum to have a chance at a roster spot.

In the sequel of battles between two virtual clones, look at the running back position as veteran Jacquizz Rodgers faces some competition from rookie Devonta Freeman. You could easily confuse the two on the field if not for jersey numbers, so it could be a slim margain that determines the victor of this particular battle.

Florida State product and Falcons rookie Devonta Freeman is impressive with quickness and flash at the running back position. One move and he's like a blur. He'll have to match Rodgers' ability in the pass blocking game to unseat the veteran, and that's going to be difficult to do. Rodgers could be the best in that aspect of the game for the Falcons at RB.