Five position battles to watch

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons concluded organized team activities Thursday and will not hit the field again until Aug. 1, when training camp starts.

“Over these 19 workouts, we have emphasized the passing game,” coach Mike Smith said of the OTAs. “We are a little behind right now in the running game. I think in terms of [setting] the depth chart, it would be really hard. You have to base it on what happened last season.”

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CURTIS COMPTON / ccompton@ajc.com

Chevis Jackson will be one of many corner backs challenging for a starting role.

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So when the Falcons convene for training camp, here are five position battles to watch:

Cornerback

Brent Grimes lined up at left cornerback with the No. 1 unit. He’ll face an all-comers challenge from Chevis Jackson, Von Hutchins and third-round draft pick Chris Owens.

Strongside linebacker

Third-year man Stephen Nicholas will have to show that he can hold down the position vacated by Michael Boley. Special-teams maven Coy Wire, who took over for Boley late last season, waits in the wings.

Strong safety

Lawyer Milloy was not re-signed, and second-year man Thomas DeCoud was in his spot this offseason. Second-round draft pick William Moore and veteran Jamaal Fudge will put forth training-camp challenges.

Backup quarterbacks

Matt Ryan has the No. 1 spot locked down. D.J. Shockley will attempt to unseat Chris Redman as the No. 2 quarterback. Undrafted free agent John Parker Wilson has an eye on the No. 3 spot.

Offensive line depth

Last year was an anomaly. Four of the starters started all 17 games, with only tackle Sam Baker missing action. Knowing how rare that is, the Falcons brought in guard-center Jeremy Newberry, guard-center Brett Romberg and tackle Will Svitek as free agents and drafted tackle Garrett Reynolds in hopes of building depth. “It’s going to be a pretty good competition,” offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said.