NFL players most likely to decline in 2017

Alexander came out of nowhere to be a monster contributor for Rex Ryan's defense last season with 12.5 sacks and 16 starts. The career journeyman will move to a new defense after Ryan was fired, doing so at age 34.

Austin is already coming off a subpar year with the struggles of the Rams' offense, and it remains to be seen how new head coach Sean McVay will utilize him. He has struggled to get open downfield, and the Rams added wide receiver talent in the offseaosn, including Robert Woods.

Blount led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns last season and had his first 1,000-yard rushing season since his rookie year. Moving to Philadelphia should provide fewer opportunities at the goal line and more competition in a deep backfield.

Britt cashed in with Cleveland after his first career 1,000-yard season at age 28. While onlookers have also seen the talent, it's probably no coincidence that Britt performed well in a walk year. He enters another struggling quarterback situation and could be behind Corey Coleman in the Browns' receiver hierarchy.

Cousins threw for nearly 5,000 yards last season, but Washington's front office still failed to sign him to a long-term deal. The team also lost offensive coordinator Sean McVay and Cousins' top two wide receivers. While Washington added viable replacements, the adjustment will likely be difficult.

Davis continued to be effective at age 33 last season, but he faces more competition with each passing year from former first-round pick Shaq Thompson. Thompson could cut into Davis's snaps if he starts to slow down.

Edelman is coming off one of his best seasons but is set to see fewer targets after the Pats acquired Brandin Cooks. Additionally, Edelman's injury history is a concern, as he managed to play only nine games in 2015.

The decline showed for Fitzgerald last season. Despite hauling in 107 receptions, he averaged a career-low 9.6 yards per catch. If John Brown returns healthy, Fitzgerald will almost certainly have fewer looks.

Forte averaged only 3.7 yards per carry last season for a bad Jets team, and the roster looks far worse on paper going into 2017. Added is the fact that Forte turned 32 in December, and there isn't much reason to be optimistic for the Jets.

Gates started to share snaps with Hunter Henry last year and has also missed seven games over the last two seasons. Now at age 37, Gates i  just hanging in after one of his worst seasons, finishing with 548 yards in 14 games.

Gore has been incredibly durable during his career, but he has struggled to move the ball consistently lately. He's averaged less than four yards per carry in consecutive seasons, and the Colts added competition by drafting Marlon Mack.

The Bengals have been looking for someone to challenge Hill, and they finally found Joe Mixon in the draft. Hill could lose his starting job if Mixon continues to perform in camp.

New Orleans added two quarterbacks in the offseason with future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson and rookie Alvin Kamara. The additions aren't exactly an endorsement of Ingram, who will now have to fight for playing time.

Marshall has been a No. 1 target for most of his career, but that will change with the Giants. He becomes their No. 2 wideout behind Odell Beckham Jr., and his numbers already declined last season.

Matthews was Tennessee's top wideout last season, finishing with career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Now he's set to drop to No. 3 after the Titans added Eric Decker and rookie Corey Davis.

McCoy had a huge season in 2016 with 1,267 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. While new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is expected to keep a run-heavy scheme, McCoy's yards per carry average look like a fluke after averaging just 4.4 yards in 2015 and 4.2 in 2014.

Murray led Tennessee's power offense with 1,287 rushing yards after an awful year in Philadelphia. Former Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is expected to spell Murray more often in 2017, and a long history of injuries early in Murray's career is also a concern.

Oakland didn't exactly make an overwhelming effort to retain Murray, who will now compete with rookie Dalvin Cook for playing time in Minnesota. Murray had 12 touchdowns with the Raiders last season, but he averaged only four yards per carry behind a very good offensive line.

Peppers returns to Carolina after leaving in 2010, but he's now one of the oldest players in the NFL. His snaps were more limited last season, as he finished with 7.5 sacks in Green Bay, and the snaps could be even more limited this season.

Perry got more playing time last season and took advantage with a career-high 11 sacks. While the team addressed the secondary, the loss of Julius Peppers could force more attention Perry's way as he tries to prove last season was for real.

A converted quarterback, Pryor came out of nowhere to have 77 catches for 1,007 yards in Cleveland last season. He will have a tougher time getting targets in Washington with Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson and Jordan Reed competing for Kirk Cousins' attention.

The defending NFL MVP is almost certain to regress somewhat from his incredible 2016 season, when he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns. The loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is concerning at the very least.

The Bills didn't use an early draft choice on a quarterback, but they weren't exactly committed to Taylor in the offseason either. The addition of Nathan Peterman does give the team an option if things start to go wrong early in the year, and Taylor's propensity to hold the ball too long did lead to a league-high 42 sacks on him last year.

How long can Wake keep up his pace? He had 11.5 sacks last season at age 34 but also saw fewer snaps in more of a pass-rushing role after returning from injury. That will likely continue into his mid-30s.

Walden came out of nowhere to have a career-high 11 sacks at age 31 last season. The stat looks like a major outlier in his career, so repeating it would seem unlikely.