Projecting the Lions depth chart: Special teams

As the offseason winds down, we're going to project each position on the Detroit Lions depth chart and also take a look at some training camp battles. Last up is special teams.

Starters: Nate Freese (K), Sam Martin (P), Don Muhlbach (LS) | Other players: Giorgio Tavecchio, Drew Butler

Although the Lions added punter Drew Butler on Friday, Sam Martin is still locked in as their starter at the position. At long snapper, meanwhile, Don Muhlbach is locked in as the Lions' starter considering he's the only one even on the roster. There's no uncertainty at those two positions.

At kicker, it's a different story. The Lions are going into training camp with seventh-round pick Nate Freese set to compete against Giorgio Tavecchio. Considering the Lions only spent a draft pick on one of those players, I'm going with Freese to win the kicker competition.

Camp battle to watch: Nate Freese vs. Giorgio Tavecchio

This is really the only competition on special teams, so it's our camp battle to watch by default. Even so, this is going to be interesting to watch. Unlike last year, there is actually going to be a camp battle taking place at kicker; one player isn't a lock to win the competition regardless of what happens. It's also going to be interesting to watch because Freese and Tavecchio sounded like they were pretty inconsistent during the Lions' mandatory minicamp. Hopefully things will go smoother during training camp and at least one of these players will emerge as someone the Lions can trust in the kicking game.

Previously: Quarterback, running back, fullback, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, offensive guard/center, defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback, safety