Baltimore Ravens training camp officially opened at the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Maryland, on July 25. That is when head coach John Harbaugh and his coaching staff will start to try and put together the best 53-man roster possible, and the best starting 11 players on both sides of the ball after that for the 2023 NFL season. That means players at multiple positions will be competing for spots on the Ravens' roster. With that in mind, here are the three biggest Ravens training camp battles to watch ahead of 2023 NFL season, including rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers vs. Rashod Bateman for the No. 1 receiver spot.

Wide receiver: Zay Flowers vs. Rashod Bateman

Lamar Jackson has had one 1,000-yard wide receiver in his entire career when Marquise Brown crested the mark by eight yards in 2021. As good as tight end Mark Andrews is, Jackson needs a true WR1 to succeed, especially in the playoffs.

Maybe that player is Odell Beckham Jr. However, he’ll be 31 in November, and he sat out the entire 2022 season after suffering a knee injury in the Super Bowl. Beckham will still be a valuable piece for the Ravens in the 2023 NFL season, but his days as a go-to No. 1 are likely over.

That leaves 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman and 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers as the two candidates to become Jackson’s main man.

Bateman and Jackson already have some chemistry after playing together for two seasons, although after starting his career with an injury and missing the majority of last season with foot surgery, Bateman’s only played 18 games for Baltimore.

Flowers is a rookie this season, but rookie wideouts have made some noise in recent years. Players like Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson have all become stars from Day 1 in the NFL.

Flowers has some of the explosive traits and the mentality to do this as well. In his first few days at Ravens training camp, he’s already turning heads, and his teammates have nicknamed him “Joystick.” If he keeps that up and figures out a way to mesh with Jackson’s improvisational style, he could be the WR1 when Baltimore takes on the Houston Texans in Week 1.

Edge rusher: David Ojobo vs. Tyus Bowser

There’s been little as consistent in the NFL over the last two decades than the Baltimore Ravens defense. The unit is perpetually ranked in the top 10, and it strikes fear in the hearts of opposing offenses.

For years, Wink Martindale ran the Ravens D, but now that he’s with the New York Giants, Mike Macdonald is at the helm. In 2022, Macdonald’s D was the third-ranked scoring defense in the league, not missing a beat with the defensive coordinator transition.

To have another top defense in the 2023 NFL season, though, the team will have to figure out what to do at the edge rusher position on the Ravens' roster. Justin Houston led the charge there last season with 9.5 sacks. No other outside linebacker on the team had more than 3.0 sacks.

With Houston gone, one OLB spot will likely go to 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh. The former Penn State pass rusher had 5.0 sacks as a rookie and 3.0 last season. He has a lot of potential and at 25, should get a chance to start.

The other veteran on the roster is Tyus Bowser. The six-year vet had 7.0 sacks in 2021 before putting up just 2.0 last season due to injury.

Speaking of injury, after taking Oweh in 2021, the Ravens drafted his high school teammate (Blair Academy in New Jersey) out of Michigan, David Ojabo. The former Wolverine tore his Achilles in college and missed all but two games in his rookie season. Still, he got 1.0 sacks in those games and showed the potential that would have made him a high- to mid-first-round draft pick without the injury.

Left guard: John Simpson vs. Ben Cleveland

It seems like every non-starting offensive lineman on the Ravens roster will be competing for the left guard spot in training camp this season.

Outside of LG, the rest of the line is set. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler, and right tackle Morgan Moses are locked in at their spots. However, John Simpson, Ben Cleveland, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Patrick Mekari, and Daniel Faalele all have a chance to play LG for the Ravens this season.

While there are a lot of names in the hat, this competition should come down to former Las Vegas Raiders guard Simpson and 2021 third-round pick Cleveland. Mekari has an outside chance, too, but he will be on the roster regardless because of his versatility.