Every NFL team's most overrated player

Atlanta's secondary struggled last season, with Alford proving to be part of the problem. He's set to play a key role in Arizona's defense, especially with Patrick Peterson missing the start of the year due to a suspension. At age 30, Alford desperately needs a better showing this year.

Beasley led the NFL with 15.5 sacks during Atlanta's 2016 Super Bowl season, but he's been a liability since then. He has just five sacks in each of the last two seasons and doesn't play the run well, often serving in a situational role. It's not a coincidence that the Falcons were rumored to be moving on from Beasley this offseason.

Smith is still a solid cover corner, but the longtime Raven has missed at least four games in each of the last three seasons and his defense hasn't missed a beat without him. At this point in his career, Smith seems more like a luxury than a necessity for the Ravens.

McCoy has put together a borderline Hall of Fame career over 10 seasons, but the end looks near. He was terrible as Buffalo's primary ball carrier last season, averaging only 3.2 yards per carry and also seeing his receiving stats plummet. We could be headed into McCoy's final season in the league.

Poe continues to earn big contracts, but he hasn't played like he's deserving. The enormous defensive tackle hasn't been a big factor as a pass rusher over the last four seasons, and he had a total of 17 tackles in 16 starts last year. He's no longer the elite interior lineman he was early in his career with Kansas City when he made two Pro Bowls.

Patterson is a nice role player, but his role as a kick returner has nearly become extinct due to the league's changing rules to prevent concussions. He did play well as a running back last season when the Patriots were in a pinch, but Patterson has just 10.2 yards per reception for his career despite his tremendous speed.

Still a productive player, injuries have clearly taken their toll on Green recently. During his first six seasons, he averaged 83 yards receiving per game and nearly 1,200 yards per season. However, Green's yards per game dwindled down to an average of 71 over the last two years, compared to 96.4 in 2016. He also failed to make the Pro Bowl in 2018, for the first time in his career. He already has a Hall of Fame resume, but Green has fallen off the elite tier of wide receivers.

Landry's hands are as good as any receiver's in the game, but he's simply not an elite playmaker. He's averaged a mediocre 10.4 yards per reception during his career and with the opportunity to run deeper patterns in Cleveland last year, he caught only 54 percent of his targets. His production could fall even more with former college teammate Odell Beckham Jr. set to attract much of the offensive attention in Cleveland this season.

Cobb was productive early in his career, including a 91-catch, 1,287-yard Pro Bowl season in 2014. However, his production has plummeted over the last three seasons to the point that he struggled to find a market in free agency. He's averaged only 44.5 yards receiving per game over the last three years, and most of that time was spent with Aaron Rodgers throwing him passes.

Flacco still gets credit for helping the Ravens to a Super Bowl win that earned MVP honors in the process back in 2012. Still, the team had no hesitation turning the page on Flacco after he went 24-27 over the last four seasons despite a strong defense. He averaged a terrible 6.3 yards per pass attempt, so Broncos fans shouldn't get too excited about what's ahead.

A solid slot receiver during his career, Amendola has still averaged only 9.7 yards per reception during his career and never reached 700 yards receiving in a season. He certainly deserves credit for a long and productive career, but Amendola isn't in the same stratosphere as other top NFL slot receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Julian Edelman.

Graham was arguably the best tight end in the NFL early in his career with New Orleans, but he hasn't played up to that level in years. After Green Bay gave Graham big money last offseason, he had only 636 yards receiving and two scores last season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Despite 10 scores in 2017, Graham wasn't great in that season with Seattle, with only 520 yards. Graham has five Pro Bowls to his name but is far from the elite among tight ends.

Miller has been a workhorse since joining the Texans in 2016 and made his first Pro Bowl last season. Still, his full body of work is mediocre, with only two 1,000 yard seasons and a 4.3 yards rushing average for his career. Miller has also shown limited ability as a receiver, most recently with 25 receptions last season.

Doyle is a sure-handed tight end whom Andrew Luck loves, but he's still limited in his ability. No other stat shows Doyle's limits more than his career 8.6 yards per reception. Doyle is a solid contributor but hardly a difference maker in the Colts offense.

Foles has shown flashes of brilliance for the Eagles over the last two seasons, including a Cinderella Super Bowl run in which he won Super Bowl MVP. However, Foles' stats are less than stellar, with only 6.6 yards per attempt during the regular season over the last two years despite a great supporting cast in Philadelphia. We also shouldn't forget how poorly Foles played against New Orleans in his final game with the Eagles, throwing for only 201 yards with two picks in the playoffs. While Foles should be a big improvement over Blake Bortles for the Jags, it's much too early to pencil them in as a playoff team due to their new quarterback.

Fisher is a durable left tackle who has consistently improved during his NFL career since the Chiefs made him the first overall pick in the draft in 2013. He was rewarded with his first Pro Bowl last year, but Fisher wasn't even the best tackle on his own line, with Mitchell Schwartz dominating on the right side of the line. Fisher still struggles vs. long-armed pass rushers and has periodic lapses. There's no doubt Fisher is in the top half of left tackles in the league, but his former draft status has inflated the perception.

Pouncey made the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Chargers, giving him four Pro Bowl appearances for his career. However, various offensive line metrics, including Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus, didn't rate the team's interior or Pouncey as anything better than average last season. His twin brother, Maurkice Pouncey, has been a more consistent performer at center for Pittsburgh, so it's possible his play has helped Mike get additional credit recently.

Matthews remains one of the faces of the NFL, frequently featured in commercials, but his play on the field has dropped off substantially. The six-time Pro Bowler last had double-digit sacks in 2014, and he had a career-low 3.5 sacks in 16 games for the Packers last season. The Rams obviously feel Matthews has something left at age 33, but fans could be disappointed by the results.

The 14th-overall pick in the 2015 draft, Parker is mentioned by beat writers for his highlight catches in practice every training camp. Yet the story for Parker usually ends up the same: a struggle for playing time and mediocre final stats. Even when Parker gets opportunities, he's failed to make the most of them, such as last season when he had more than 50 yards only once in 11 games. The hope is that a new coaching staff will help Parker, but this is likely his final chance in Miami.

A solid NFL starting quarterback, Cousins didn't prove worthy of the three-year, $84 million contract he signed with the Vikings last season. While he had good overall stats, including 4,298 yards passing, 30 touchdowns and a 70.1 completion rate, Cousins led his team to an 8-7-1 finish after Case Keenum went 11-3 with a better yards per reception average during 2017. Cousins is far from elite, despite his big contract.

Hightower has been a key run stopper for much of his career in New England, but his play isn't nearly what it was early in his career. He had two 100-plus tackle seasons over his first three years but finished last year with only 48 despite playing most of New England's defensive snaps.

The Saints traded two late-round draft picks to acquire Apple from the Giants last season. The former first-round pick struggled in New York and not much changed with the Saints in his five regular-season games and two playoff appearances. Of course it should be remembered that Apple will be just 24 entering the 2019 season and has time to improve, but he's far from the top corner that was expected.

Manning has cemented his legacy with two Super Bowl victories, but he's long been overrated for his career accomplishments as well as his recent play. Manning threw 30 touchdowns only three times in his 15-year career, but he led the NFL in interceptions three times. His 7.0 yards per reception for his career is extremely mediocre. By comparison, brother Peyton Manning averaged 7.7 yards per reception for his career and eight more touchdown passes per season. Eli has also led the Giants to a losing record in five of the last six seasons.

Bell is one of the most dynamic running backs in the game, but Pittsburgh's production at the running back position last season while Bell held out demonstrates his overrated value. The team improved by 0.4 yards per carry and had four more rushing touchdowns than in 2017 when Bell started 15 games. When Bell was on the field most recently, he averaged only 4.0 yards per carry, and he's now taken a full season away from the game. Faced with a worse supporting cast in New York, Bell's impact will likely be far less than fans expect.

Playing behind an elite offensive line in 2016, Carr led the Raiders to a 12-3 record with a terrific 28/6 TD/INT in 15 games. Since then Carr is just 10-21 as Oakland's starter, throwing a total of 23 picks. Even when Carr was at his best, it should be remembered that he averaged a mediocre 7.0 yards per attempt in 2016. Carr's play continues to deteriorate as Oakland's offensive line has struggled, which isn't unexpected, but the fact is that his game was never at even close to an elite level even with three straight Pro Bowl appearances.

Howard made quite a name for himself in his rookie season with the Bears in 2016, making the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,313 yards and 5.2 yards per carry. Those numbers have declined sharply over the last two years, with Howard averaging only 4.1 yards per carry in 2017 and 3.7 yards per carry last season. With Howard's inability to be a factor as a receiver, the Bears traded him to Philly for scraps this offseason. Howard now has to fight for playing time in a deeper backfield, and the recent results shouldn't provide confidence.

Conner exceeded expectations as Pittsburgh's surprise starter last season, replacing Le'Veon Bell. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and had 12 rushing touchdowns in only 13 games, but the team's performance when Conner was injured showed that the system might have been more responsible for Conner's success. Rookie Jaylen Samuels ran wild when Conner was hurt, averaging 5.3 yards per carry on the strength of a 142-yard performance against New England. Pittsburgh drafted Bennie Snell this year, showing its own caution regarding Conner's ability.

San Francisco was considered a sleeper team going into last season after Garoppolo led the Niners to a 5-0 record late in 2017. Unfortunately, they were 1-2 over their first three games last season, and Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL in Week 3. Injuries are starting to become all too common for Garoppolo, whose starting stint with the Patriots in 2016 was also disrupted by injury. He's shown a great ability to throw the ball down the field in Kyle Shanahan's offense, but Garoppolo has also been too risky with the ball, throwing eight picks in his eight starts with San Francisco. There's no doubt the 49ers are a better team with Garoppolo on the field, but his blemishes could lead to another disappointing year.

Ansah has been an elite pass rusher at times during his career, but he's struggled with injuries in recent seasons. Playing through bumps and bruises, Ansah had only two sacks in 13 games in 2016, and he lasted only seven games last year before his Lions career ended. Seattle is hoping Ansah can offset some of what it lost after trading Frank Clark, but the recent results suggest they shouldn't count on him.

The last two seasons have been rough for Winston, to say the least. The Bucs are just 6-16 with Winston under center. That's not all on Winston, but the fact is that he's averaged more than one interception per game even with a bevy of excellent wideouts in Tampa Bay. Former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians hopes he can fix Winston this year.

Mariota is a versatile playmaker, but he hasn't made nearly enough plays since the Titans drafted him second overall in 2015. Mariota has a total of 24 touchdown passes in 29 games over the last two seasons and threw for just over 180 yards per game in 14 contests last season. He had an arm injury as an excuse last year, but the Titans desperately need more production at the quarterback position.

Washington gave Norman big money after his breakout 2015 season in Carolina, but his play hasn't been up to that same level since then. He's often struggled in coverage and has only six interceptions over his three seasons in Washington.