Pete Carroll loves creating a culture of competition at all positions and the quarterback position is certainly no different. Tarvaris Jackson was serviceable for the 7-9 Seahawks last year, but the Seahawks still brought in two quarterbacks to compete with him, Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson. While Flynn, who signed a 19.5 million dollar deal with 10 million guaranteed over 3 years in March, is fully expected to be the team’s starter in 2012, Carroll did say Wilson, their 3^rd round pick, was in the competition.

The Seahawks are very high on Wilson and GM John Schneider called him one of the top 3 players he scouted in the fall. I still fully expect Flynn to be the starter, but he’ll have to earn it and if Wilson has a strong training camp, he could definitely make Jackson and his 4 million dollar salary expendable as a training camp cap casualty.

Going into the draft, the Browns had arguably the league’s thinnest receiving corps and they didn’t take a receiver until the 4^th round, when they took the speedy, but raw Travis Benjamin. Benjamin, widely viewed as a late round pick, is someone they were obviously very high on and Pat Shurmur’s comments today did nothing to change that.

Shurmur said Benjamin would play a “significant” role as a rookie. 2011 2^nd round Greg Little is the only Browns receiver entrenched in his spot on the depth chart and the Browns’ receiving corps after him are so bad that the raw rookie Benjamin could push either Mohamed Massaquoi for the starting job opposite Greg Little or Josh Cribbs or Jordan Cameron for the slot job.

When reigning defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles a week or so ago, many assumed he’d be lost for the season. Many players suffered Achilles injuries in training camp last year after the lockout and none played all year. When the Eagles’ Jason Peters tore his over a month ago, the Eagles wasted no time in signing a replacement, Demetress Bell. However, it doesn’t appear Suggs’ Achilles injury is as serious as Peters’ or even Da’Quan Bowers’. Bowers was lost for the season when he tore his Achilles last week.

John Harbaugh is insisting team doctors are saying Suggs could play in 2012, though reports in the past have said that doctors were split on whether or not he could. If his Achilles is only partially torn, which it sounds like it could be, he could be expected back in October or November, rather than missing the whole season. If it’s completely torn, he’s done for the year. He’ll almost definitely begin the season on the PUP, but I don’t expect the Ravens to place him on IR until they absolutely have to. 2^nd round rookie Courtney Upshaw figures to see the bulk of the vacated snaps in Suggs’ absence.

Elvis Dumervil is part of a dangerous pass rushing duo in Denver as both he and Von Miller are terrors of the edge on 3^rd down. They have been amply nicknamed “Doom and Gloom.” However, Dumervil seems to not have been satisfied with his strong season in 2011. In an effort to regain the explosiveness he had in 2009, when he led the league with 17 sacks, Dumervil has lost 10 pounds and gone from 260 to 250. This will probably weaken him against the run, but it should make it a more explosive pass rusher, which sounds like the whole idea.

Even though the Eagles spent a 3^rd round pick on Nick Foles, they are likely not going to let him compete for the primary backup job behind Michael Vick. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that Foles is not expected to compete for the backup job and will be a pure 3^rd string quarterback this season. It sounds like it’s between incumbent Mike Kafka and free agent acquisition Trent Edwards. It isn’t entirely clear what would happen to the loser, but it sounds like he’d lose his roster spot so they can keep Foles for the future.

Kafka would likely have the advantage. He has been in the system two years and played decent last year when both Michael Vick and Vince Young were hurt. Trent Edwards, meanwhile, didn’t attempt a pass in 2011. Vick figures to get hurt at some point once again this season so Kafka should see the field. Foles, meanwhile, has a long way to go in terms of his footwork and accuracy, which is why I was surprised he went in the 3^rd round. It sounds like he’s viewed as nothing but a developmental prospect in the immediate future.

LeSean McCoy will be in the last year of his 4 year rookie contract in 2012, though the Eagles will retain the right to franchise him like the Bears did with Matt Forte and the Ravens did with Ray Rice this offseason. However, it doesn’t sound like either side wants it to come to that as the two parties are having what the Philadelphia Enquirer calls “very productive” talks. McCoy, who doesn’t turn 24 until July, still has a lot of years left and expects to get a deal that surpasses the 5 year 43.5 million dollar deal Arian Foster got earlier this offseason. The Inquirer calls that contract the “starting point” in negoations between McCoy and the Eagles.

It sounds like the Eagles, who have already given long term deals to Evan Mathis, Todd Herremans, DeSean Jackson, and Trent Cole this offseason, are very interested in locking up McCoy, who had 20 touchdowns last year, long term, probably to avoid a situation like what happened between them and Jackson this season and what’s happening between Rice and the Ravens and Forte and the Bears this offseason. I expect it to get done.

The Bears used the 19^th overall pick on Shea McClellin, but don’t expect him to be a starter immediately. The Bears still like incumbent starter Isreal Idonije opposite Julius Peppers and see McClellin more as a situational pass rusher and a long term successor for Idonije, who turns 32 in November. It still wouldn’t surprise me if McClellin made his way into the starting lineup sometime during his first season. Idonije is a pretty marginal player and McClellin was the 19^th overall pick. However, it’s clear he’ll have to earn a starting job. Either way, he should see some of the field and have some impact immediately in his rookie season.

Teams were looking at former Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner both inside and outside coming out of college, but the Seahawks confirmed at rookie camp when many already assumed, that Wagner would be solely a middle linebacker for them. Wagner, who can play either position, represents a major upgrade at middle linebacker over the injury prone Barrett Ruud, who hasn’t been the same since 2008, especially in coverage. As expected, he’s been playing only there at Seahawks rookie camp. At outside linebacker, the Seahawks have the talented, but oft troubled LeRoy Hill re-signed on a long term deal. That seems to be good enough for them at that spot for next season.

The Bears have brought in 2 return men this offseason in Devin Thomas and Eric Weems and new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates has been talking up Hester as a great fit for their new offense. Even offseason acquisition Brandon Marshall has been talking up his fellow wide receiver, saying he expects Hester to outperform him this season.

All this led to some speculation that Hester would not be returning kicks or punts this season to focus on offense. However, according to the Chicago Tribune, they still have him as their top return man and will keep Hester doing what he does best, returning kicks to the house, something he’s done more than anyone ever. The Bears brought in two receivers this offseason in Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffery, a 2^nd round pick. Between those two and Earl Bennett, it’s definitely possible that Hester opens the season as the #4 receiver, as much as the organization as a whole has been talking him up as a receiver.