RICHMOND, Va. -- The Washington Redskins' starting position battle at running back became more clarified, while an old name showed he might be reviving his career at nose tackle. And a Pro Bowl linebacker made a strong opening move.

Thursday's preseason opener and the nearly three weeks of practices leading to it have produced a clearer picture of various position battles. Here's a look at the Redskins' starting jobs that remain open:

Running back: Samaje Perine vs. Rob Kelley. It's hard to imagine anyone but Kelley opening the season as the starter. There's been a difference between the two in camp, and that carried over into the preseason opener. Perine just needs to keep working and to find a comfort level. He's a powerful runner who too often hesitated on his six carries Thursday, gaining 15 yards (11 on one run). He was mixed in protection, fumbled the ball and dropped a pass.

"He had a rough first start," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "He had that little fumble, kind of a missed exchange a little bit, and then he dropped the pass. He didn't quite hit the hole as violently as we'd like him to hit it. You know, a couple of times he was kind of weaving his way through traffic a little bit, trying to get his reads right."

Perine is worth developing, so he'll keep getting chances.

"Just getting him the ball more, letting him see more runs," Gruden said, "get him some of these outside zones, these powers, some duos and stuff like that and see how he hits it. But, you know, we're not losing faith in Samaje. We have total confidence that he will get right."

Inside linebacker: Will Compton, Mason Foster and Zach Brown. In practice Saturday, there was a slight change in how the Redskins approached this battle, with Brown taking the initial snaps next to Compton in full-team work. Foster was paired with Zach Vigil (Vigil has gotten a lot of work on special teams) and at times Martrell Spaight, coming off a hamstring injury.

Brown was terrific versus Baltimore, showcasing his speed -- it helped him not just make plays but be in position where few yards were gained. Tackle totals can be misleading if you're always making them 5 yards downfield. In Brown's case, three of his four tackles were within 2 yards of the line and the other was within 3 yards. He also did an excellent job taking on lead blockers deep in the backfield.

It's not as if Foster and Compton played poorly, though, and the Redskins will continue to see what their best pairing is at this position. Brown made the Pro Bowl last season in Buffalo.

Nose tackle: Phil Taylor, A.J. Francis and Joey Mbu. Taylor worked with the starters in Thursday's game, as he's been doing more and more in practice. It's been warranted because of his play, and sure enough, he was solid versus Baltimore. Taylor did a nice job getting off blocks and plugging the middle. Mbu mostly played end in the opener, though he did get some time at nose tackle. Mbu had a couple of issues at end, getting knocked to the ground twice.

Francis was the No. 2 nose Thursday and he had one pressure, driving the center back almost into the quarterback. Francis feels this is the best shot he's received in his career, so he feels confident.

Defensive end: This one is tougher to call. Ziggy Hood and Stacy McGee played in the No. 1 base defense, but Matt Ioannidis and Jonathan Allen started in the nickel package. The Redskins' ends played well in general, with the young players all showing something -- Ioannidis, Allen and Anthony Lanier. The latter had a couple of plays late where he was too upright. But Lanier showed more strength than he did last season, tossing aside blockers on a few occasions. He's clearly developing. At Saturday's practice, Hood and McGee again worked with Taylor in the first defense. But this one remains far from over.