The Detroit Lions open training camp on Aug. 3 and with it, the 2015 season will commence. In a change from most seasons, the Lions are coming off a playoff berth and one of the best seasons in franchise history.

Can the Lions repeat that? Each day from now until training camp, we will look at one position group to prepare for the 2015 season.

Position: Defensive end

Ezekiel Ansah registered 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2014. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Starters: Jason Jones; Ezekiel Ansah

Backups: Darryl Tapp, Devin Taylor, Larry Webster, Phillip Hunt, Kerry Hyder.

Position status: Decent to good

Position thoughts: While a lot of attention – and rightfully so – has been placed on Detroit’s line shift at defensive tackle, the end position has remained fairly consistent from 2014 to 2015. Yes, the Lions lost George Johnson after declining to match his contract offer from Tampa Bay, but otherwise every major contributor returns from last season.

The Lions do have to find a replacement for Johnson’s six sacks last season, but that doesn’t have to come from one player. Detroit has multiple options to pick up Johnson’s reps and production and that will start with third-year pro Devin Taylor and 2014 fourth-round pick Larry Webster. Taylor showed flashes during his rookie season, but Johnson’s emergence took away a lot of snaps that might have been earmarked for him.

Webster is an interesting case. Taken as a developmental project in 2014, he has the size and speed component that could make him a good pro. But the production has been non-existent as he barely saw the field last season and didn’t play at all in a defensive role. Those are the two players who will get the first chances to replace Johnson.

The starters are pretty comfortably set with Ansah and Jones , and Ansah could be headed for a breakout season. He will have to deal with a lot more attention – and the double teams that will accompany that – with the departure of Ndamukong Suh to Miami, but he has the skill and now the experience to handle that. I picked him as my emerging star in the NFC North, and a lot of it has to do with his increased understanding of the game he first started playing midway through his career at BYU.

Overall, this is a strong position group.

What the Lions need to see in camp: Jason Jones missed minicamp as he dealt with an injury, so seeing him healthy will be a priority for the Lions early on in training camp. As long as that happens then most of the focus will be on the backup to Ansah since Tapp is the likely backup to Jones on the other side. That’s where Webster, Taylor and Hunt all come into focus. It should be an intriguing battle and one that is difficult to handicap. If I had to right now, I’d go with Taylor, Webster and then Hunt – but at this point a year ago, George Johnson was pretty far off the 53-man roster radar.

Entering his third season, time might be getting a little short for Taylor if he can’t put it together, especially if Webster displays enough to be the rotational end the Lions are looking for. But Taylor and Webster both likely end up on the roster and see snaps throughout the season. Hunt would have to make some big moves at this point to make it – but it is possible.

Who ends up on the roster: Ansah, Jones, Tapp, Taylor, Webster.