NFL Veterans on the Roster Bubble in Training Camp

There’s nothing like having a job interview and dealing with the summer heat as well.

As we know, all 32 teams will be engaged in training camp by August 1. And that’s when the competition for full-time work begins.

We have chosen eight players (and we know there are others) who are not only in danger of losing a starting job but a place on their current team as well.

We will take recent performance into consideration as well as changes of not only system but coaching staffs. In the case of several of these performers, they are about to be supplanted by either an up-and-coming player or a franchise’s decision that youth must be served.

Let’s keep something else in mind as well. "Roster bubble" refers to the player’s current roster. So it is not unimaginable that one of these players could be dealt before the start of the season or latch on with another club.

Keep an eye on those possible NFL transactions over the next six weeks.

The third overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2009 NFL draft, defensive end Tyson Jackson became defensive tackle Tyson Jackson for the Atlanta Falcons this past season.

A disappointment in five seasons with the Chiefs, the six-year pro did little to distinguish himself in his first campaign with the Falcons. He was part of a defensive unit that allowed the most total yards in the league in 2014.

And now there’s a new coaching staff in place, led by head honcho Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Richard Smith, and it's is determined to fix this side of the ball. The former LSU product may have to establish himself in a big way this summer.

Back in March, the Buffalo Bills orchestrated a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to obtain the services of veteran quarterback Matt Cassel.

Four months later, is the team from Orchard Park, New York, looking for a refund of sorts?

The Bills opened training camp Thursday, and there are high hopes for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999. But back in June, after Cassel had several opportunities to show what he could do for the team, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wasn't confident that the quarterback can be an answer to any issues at the position.

As of now, it seems that EJ Manuel’s biggest competition at the position is coming from Tyrod Taylor, per Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle. Cassel needs to rectify that quickly, or he could be back on the open market down the road.

When your defense has been as poor as the Chicago Bears' the past two seasons, you know there will be plenty of changes.

Start with one at the top in the hiring of head coach John Fox. Continue that with a new system after the hiring of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Bears, who have allowed 93 offensive touchdowns in their last 32 games, will utilize the 3-4 this season.

Last offseason, the team spent some significant dollars and some high draft choices to bolster the unit, and things didn’t work out. One of those additions was Lamarr Houston, who played in just eight games in 2014 for Chicago and totaled a mere 11 tackles and one sack.

That lone sack came in a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots in which Houston did a little dance after the play and proceeded to injure himself.

With a logjam that includes Jared Allen and Willie Young trying to make a mark at right outside linebacker, Houston could have a problem making the final roster by summer’s end.

Could the Cincinnati Bengals be leaning toward releasing a former top-10 draft choice?

Tackle Andre Smith was the sixth overall selection in 2009, but he’s been an underwhelming performer for the majority of his time in the Queen City.

One of the bigger problems, besides consistency, has been reliability. In six seasons he’s played in just 68 out of 96 regular-season games. In 2014, he suited up for just nine contests.

As we all know by now, the Bengals used their first two selections in the 2015 draft on tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, and the pair is likely the team’s offensive bookends of the future.

For one of them, the immediate future may result in Smith’s departure from Cincinnati.

Oft-injured guard Donald Thomas has barely seen the field since signing with the team in 2013.

We bring up Thomas because he is a former sixth-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 2008 (by then-executive Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland). He spent two seasons with the Dolphins, landed in Detroit for a year, wound up with the New England Patriots in 2011 to 2012 and was on the roster of the Indianapolis Colts the past two campaigns.

But his time with the Colts has added up to just two games—he sat out all of 2014.

Indianapolis added veteran Todd Herremans to the offensive line this offseason. And we are hardly shocked that Thomas could be out of a job by the end of the summer. But we also can’t help thinking that he might get another shot with a fifth club sometime this year.

When you prepare to enter your 10th season in the NFL and the franchise you play for just gave a two-time Pro Bowl free agent who happens to play the same position as you do a lucrative contract, it may be time to worry…at least a little.

And when your own production decreases, be it your fault or another factor, it’s time to be a little concerned.

That's the situation Marcedes Lewis is facing.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have scored the fewest points in the league each of the past two seasons. In an attempt to add a little punch to their offense, the team added former Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (12 touchdown receptions in both 2013 and 2014).

That could make things difficult for Lewis, who has caught 315 passes and 27 for scores in his career. In 2010, he was named to the Pro Bowl after totaling 10 touchdown receptions. In four seasons since then, he’s combined for 10 touchdowns. Add in the fact that he’s missed a combined 13 games the past two campaigns and the 31-year-old Lewis’ future on a team that is determined to get younger (and better) could be dicey.

In two seasons in Philadelphia, head coach/now head honcho Chip Kelly hasn’t shown a lot of brotherly love to some of the Eagles’ most prominent players.

No longer with the Birds are quarterback Nick Foles, running back LeSean McCoy, wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, offensive linemen Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans and defensive end/outside linebacker Trent Cole, to name a few.

Inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans has nine NFL seasons under his belt, the last three with the Eagles. His 2014 campaign ended after eight games; it was just the second time during his career that he failed to play in all 16 contests.

There’s been trade talk surrounding nearly everyone in Philadelphia save for Rocky Balboa and William Penn (the statues, of course). Earlier this year, there were whispers that fellow inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks could be on his way out, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora.

However, with Kiko Alonso now in the fold and Ryans coming off a shortened season, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the veteran defender suit up elsewhere for a 10th NFL campaign.

What does the future hold for one of the more talented players in the league at his position the last decade or so?

Todd Dybas of the Washington Times has the latest on veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who missed 13 games this past season, noting that he's eyeing a comeback after two surgeries on his left Achilles.

Of course, that missed time would make it hard for the 11-year pro to absorb a lot of responsibility for the Washington Redskins allowing a league-high 35 touchdown passes.

Still, the team has drafted cornerbacks David Amerson (2013), Bashaud Breeland (2014) and Tevin Mitchel (2015) while adding highly regarded corner Chris Culliver to the secondary this offseason.

Having a veteran such as Hall around would be a big plus for all that youth, but those recent draft picks could also push him out. This could be an interesting decision facing new general manager Scot McCloughan.

All free-agent information and player signings/transactions are courtesy of Spotrac. Depth chart information comes via Ourlads. Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.