More than coaches barking, players sprinting and the summer sun beating down on them all, NFL training camps are about competition.

And no competition quite defines training camp like the position battle.

Teammates fighting for the same starting job or roster spot. Or just scraps of playing time, day after day after day.

After turning over virtually half of their roster this offseason, the Patriots will soon open one of their most competitive camps in years. Several rookies and fresh-faced free-agent additions are set to not just introduce themselves, but prove they belong on Mike Vrabel’s team over the entire summer.

Let the battles begin.

1. Running back

Rhamondre Stevenson is the incumbent starter here, but no lead can be considered safe after the front office selected second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson last April.

Henderson is more explosive than Stevenson, who also has a fumble problem to resolve. Stevenson dropped the ball seven times last year, when Henderson’s draft stock rose at Ohio State as an all-around back showcasing elite speed, soft hands and improved physicality. Henderson may not steal the job right away, but he could walk the same path Stevenson did as a rookie in 2021: supplanting then starter Damien Harris as the team’s best back by midseason.

Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson makes a catch during a Patriots OTA session in May at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Either way, the division of snaps at running back bears watching all summer and season; not to mention steady-eddy veteran Antonio Gibson, arguably the Patriots’ best rusher a year ago.

2. Wide receiver

Stefon Diggs and …?

The Patriots are loaded with question marks behind their new No. 1 receiver, whose health – until further notice – is its own question mark as he continues to recover from a torn ACL last October. DeMario Douglas, a jitterbug in the slot, must develop a better feel against zone coverage and prove he can play outside when the offense inevitably shifts to two-back or two-tight end personnel. Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins are capable veterans properly cast as career No. 3 or No. 4 options, a future that may await third-year target Kayshon Boutte.

Foxboro, MA – June 9 – Kyle Williams of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Then there’s rookie Kyle Williams, who posted elite numbers against man-to-man coverage last season at Washington State and figures to have a leg up on 2024 draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. And because it wouldn’t be a Patriots training camp without a scrappy, undersized receiver, keep an eye on Efton Chism III; a slippery, lightning-quick Eastern Washington product who just might make the 53-man roster outright.

3. Left guard

The quiet retirement of free-agent addition Wes Schweitzer in June makes Cole Strange the overwhelming favorite to reclaim his old job.

Strange has appeared in just three games over the last 17 months, thanks to a torn patellar tendon suffered late in the 2023 season. The former first-round pick is more athletic than he is strong and has never graded consistently as an above-average player. Strange nonetheless remains the most obvious option, given 2024 fourth-rounder Layden Robinson toiled on the third- and fourth-string units for much of spring and the other contenders include Sidy Sow, journeyman Tyrese Robinson and undrafted rookie Jack Conley, a Boston College alum.

4. Off-ball linebacker

Robert Spillane is a lock to man one inside linebacker spot in Vrabel’s new defensive scheme, thanks to the three-year, $33 million he signed in free agency. Spillane may even become a captain, a title he earned before playing a snap for the Raiders in 2023 and later 2024.

But who’s next to Spillane?

Christian Elliss and Jahlani Tavai are the names to know, returned Patriots who offer contrasting styles. Elliss fits the lighter, faster mold of linebacker that fits Vrabel’s defense, while Tavai is a classic hard hitter with good instincts and positional flexibility. Tavai’s is hurt, though, with a calf injury that as of Monday has him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and could allow Elliss to take an early lead.

And don’t forget about Jack Gibbens, a 26-year-old ex-Titan who started 18 games over his last two years in Tennessee, including one year under Vrabel.

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5. Safety

Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers remain the headliners for the Patriots’ deepest position, particularly after the front office selected fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson, signed one-time Eagles and Raiders starter Marcus Epps, and retained capable backups like Jaylinn Hawkins and Dell Pettus this offseason.

The last regime believed Dugger and Peppers could play together, despite the fact both profile as traditional strong safeties, much like Epps, Hawkins and Pettus. That leaves Woodson, a heady, 24-year-old rookie who played all across the secondary in college, as a wild card. Don’t be surprised if Woodson makes an early run at real playing time early in the season, specifically at free safety.

6. Kicker

If the regular season started tomorrow, sixth-round rookie Andres Borregales could safely be penned in as the Patriots’ starting kicker. Alas, there’s a month or so to spice up what should be the team’s most predictable position battle.

Borregales was far and away the best kicker over OTAs and minicamp practices open to reporters, making more field goals than veteran John Parker Romo. He also connected several times on attempts of 50-plus yards. The Patriots have seen rookie kickers fail before (see: Chad Ryland and Justin Rohrwasser), but in retrospect their struggles could be explained by questionable coaching, technique changes and lackluster scouting. Borregales looks the part and plays the part, so if special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer can keep the rookie on this path, he should have himself a new kicker.