New Orleans Saints: 4 position battles to watch in training camp

Training camp begins on July 27 for the New Orleans Saints and there are plenty of storylines to follow as the team enters life without Drew Brees. One of the most exciting ones during training camp surrounds the position battles, which the Saints have plenty of.

As we inch closer to training camp, let’s take a moment to look at the biggest position battles that will be taking place at the end of the month up until the start of the regular season.

New Orleans Saints Position Battles to Watch – No. 4: Linebacker

One thing is for certain at the linebacker position and that’s that Demario Davis will be a starter. This isn’t up for debate. Davis has earned his starting job and unless something unfortunate takes place between now and the start of the season (knock on wood, please), he’ll be in that role.

The question now is who gets the nod between Zack Baun and Pete Werner?

Baun is entering his second year as an NFL linebacker and didn’t give fans much to write home about during the course of his rookie season. As Justin Fried of Who Dat Dish discussed last month, this year is crucial for the former Wisconsin Badger.

"Baun made a living around the line of scrimmage as a playmaker, primarily when he was chasing down opposing quarterbacks. But that’s not what the Saints are asking him to do. As a WILL linebacker, Baun will be a true off-ball linebacker lining up next to Demario Davis and frequently dropping back into coverage. Right now, it’s nearly impossible to predict how he will fare in such a role. Mostly because there’s very little tape that exists of him performing the duties of a WILL linebacker."

The Saints spent a second-round pick on Werner and it’s hard to argue that this move wouldn’t have been made if Baun showed a little more. These two guys are going to be battling it out for the most playing time alongside Davis and it’ll be a position battle that Saints fans will surely have their eyes peeled for.