Pittsburgh Steelers: Breaking down the best upcoming training camp battles

Guard: Ramon Foster vs. Kelvin Beachum

Aug 18, 2011; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster (73) lines up against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of the game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

This is really the only true position battle on the offensive line as the experienced Foster was re-signed in the offseason, hopefully to fill the void left by the release of Willie Colon.

It’s a battle between an undrafted player and a seventh-round draft choice, which is something you typically don’t see a lot.

The Steelers drafted Beachum in the seventh round in 2012. He started five games last year at right tackle due to injuries to Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams and played admirably. He did well enough that the Steelers are giving him an opportunity to compete with Foster for the vacated guard position.

Foster is versatile so it may be nice to see him not in the starting lineup as he can fill in at multiple positions across the line.

But you can make a case that through filling in for numerous injured Steelers linemen over the course of the past couple of seasons that Foster became one of their more reliable players up front.

He deserves the opportunity and should take advantage of it.

Prediction: Foster