Houston Texans: Five camp battles to watch

Aug 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Mike Mohamed (54) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Linebacker

The common thought about the linebacker position is that the two middle backers will be Brian Cushing and second round pick Bernardrick McKinney out of Mississippi State. While this will most likely prove to be the case, McKinney will still have to earn that right.

With Cushing missing time in the past due to injuries, the team has done a good job of making sure there are talented players capable of getting plenty of snaps on defense.

27-year old Mike Mohamed had two starts last season and recorded 68 tackles with six pass deflections and one interception. Akeem Dent started seven games and had 38 tackles while Justin Tuggle started 8 games and had 39 tackles and an interception.

The team believes the highly touted rookie has what it takes to be a real playmaker in the NFL, but they sure aren’t handing him the job and I doubt any of these three veteran players are ready to concede their playing time.

This one will come down to who the Texans trust more to be in the right spot and make the right play. While McKinney was a sure tackler in college, he never recorded a pick and wasn’t a game changing type of player. Someone like Mohamed can really give him a run for his money in the battle for this job.

Next: Special teams needs a change