NFL training camp battles put Dolphins and Browns receivers on the spot
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani put Miami’s receivers, Cleveland’s rookies and Cincinnati’s pass rush under the camp microscope.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
4 min read
The loudest NFL training camp battles are often at quarterback, but CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani has circled five non-QB races that could shape depth charts fast, with the Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver room sitting at No. 1 on his list.
A position battle is a camp competition for snaps, roles or starting jobs. Coaches use practices and preseason games to sort out who earns the ball, who protects it, and who gets trusted when the season starts.
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Dajani’s top watch is Miami’s receiver group, where he wrote that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are no longer in the room and the Dolphins did little to replace them. That leaves a scramble involving Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, TuTu Atwell, Caleb Douglas, Kevin Coleman Jr. and Chris Bell.
Washington caught 46 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns last season, according to CBS Sports, after leading the NCAA with 110 receptions in 2023 at Virginia. Tolbert arrives after four years with the Dallas Cowboys, while Atwell brings five seasons of Los Angeles Rams experience. Douglas, a 2026 third-round pick from Texas Tech, ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the combine after posting 846 yards and seven touchdowns last season, though CBS Sports draft analyst Mike Renner called the pick one of the draft’s biggest reaches.
Cleveland’s receivers landed second on Dajani’s list. Jerry Jeudy brings the veteran résumé, including 90 catches for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, but CBS Sports noted he had 602 yards and two touchdowns last season while rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. led the Browns in receiving.
The Browns also have Cedric Tillman, first-rounder KC Concepcion, second-rounder Denzel Boston and Isaiah Bond. CBS Sports said Concepcion went No. 24 overall after a college season in which he was named First Team All-SEC as a wide receiver, all-purpose player and return specialist. Boston, picked No. 39 out of Washington, caught 62 passes for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final college season.
Why Cincinnati’s pass rush is under pressure
The Bengals’ edge group is another camp flashpoint because, according to CBS Sports, Trey Hendrickson is no longer with Cincinnati. Dajani pointed to Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell as the names to track.
Mafe joined Cincinnati on a three-year deal after a Super Bowl season with Seattle, where he had 31 tackles and two sacks in a rotational role, CBS Sports reported. Murphy, the No. 28 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had career highs of 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. Stewart, the No. 17 pick last year, recorded 11 tackles and one sack in eight games. Howell, the No. 41 pick in 2026, had 11.5 sacks last season and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, according to CBS Sports.
San Francisco’s secondary came in fourth, with Dajani grouping cornerback and safety together. Deommodore Lenoir is listed as a starter, while Renardo Green is trying to hold off free-agent addition Jack Jones at cornerback. At safety, Ji’Ayir Brown has reportedly received all first-team reps, while Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle compete for the other job.
Green started all 14 games he played last season and had 60 tackles with 10 passes defensed. Jones started all 17 games for Miami last season, making 77 tackles with six passes defensed and two forced fumbles. New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris told reporters he has been impressed with Green’s length and ball skills, according to CBS Sports.
Seattle’s running back job rounds out the five. With Kenneth Walker III having left for Kansas City in free agency and Zach Charbonnet recovering from an ACL tear six months ago, Dajani named Jadarian Price, George Holani and Emanuel Wilson as candidates.
Price, a first-round pick from Notre Dame, ran for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025 and averaged 6.0 yards per carry, according to CBS Sports. ESPN reported the Seahawks are high on Holani, who had 73 rushing yards and one touchdown as Seattle’s RB3 last year. Wilson signed a one-year deal after three seasons with Green Bay and had a 107-yard, two-touchdown start against Minnesota in Week 12 last season.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.