5 Bubble Competitions

With the Roster Projection I did earlier, I figured I would circle back and go back over some of the bubble competitions for other scenarios where different players make the team.

Safety: Ebner v Allen v Barett: Circling back, this is one where I think I may have been off. Ebner hasn't been getting the reps in practice that would lead me to believe he makes this team. Also, Barrett has been practicing on all 4 1st team special teams units. This, combined with his ability to play defense (something Ebner will not be able to do this year), may give him the edge over Allen and Ebner. Thinking Allen still makes it and Ebner ends up on practice squad.

Cornerback: Marquise Cole v Malcolm Williams: This is basically the backup to the backup cornerback role, that will be almost exclusively special teams. It appears as though Williams may be getting a few more of those reps than Cole, which would give him the inside track on the roster spot.

Linebacker: Tracy White v Jeff Tarpinian: This is also going to be mostly a special teams role at linebacker. I personally hate Tracy White with a burning fiery passion and his stinker in the Super Bowl cemented that. But, he has been getting more Special Teams reps than Tarpinian, so he has that advantage. He did leave early with an injury, so that could give Tarpinian a little edge here. I am not sure how this one plays out, completely up in the air.

Defense: Ron Brace v Jermaine Cunningham: I think these two, while they play much different positions, are going after the same roster spot. They are both 2nd round picks (Brace 2009, Cunningham 2010) that have yet to live up to the spot in which they were drafted. Apparently, the two of them have both looked good, but I have heard more positives (and virtually no negatives) out of Brace, so I think he has the lead at this point.

Wide Receiver: Deion Branch v Jabar Gaffney: These two have not been on the field at the same time thus far in camp. This shows that it is an either or with them. I have heard better things out of Gaffney than Branch, but this is likely due to the fact that people are used to Branch, and are more inclined to look harder at new acquisitions. With a reduced workload (72% of snaps last year) for Branch, hopefully he can perform at a higher level this year. I personally thought Branch was done at the end of last year, so I think Gaffney makes it, but this will be one to monitor closely.