For every player who overachieves in the NFL, there are just as many, if not more, who underachieve.
Whether a guy comes into the league as a former college star, a high draft pick or someone with a ton of hype, not every player can live up to the expectations.
In the second of our two-part piece—I outlined the All-AFC underachievers yesterday—I dug deep into all 32 NFL teams to find which player is the most disappointing for each, with these guys representing the All-NFC team.
This is one preseason list no player should be happy to find himself on.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: Morris Claiborne, Cornerback
When a player is considered to be a franchise’s biggest bust ever, that’s a really bad thing.
Guess what? Cornerback Morris Claiborne has that distinction for the Dallas Cowboys, as everyone in Big D has seemingly given up on the kid who was selected No. 6 overall in the 2012 NFL draft.
A big, tall corner who was expected to help shore up the pass defense on the Boys years ago, Claiborne barely got another year to prove himself worthy of wearing the star on his helmet, with the team sort of reluctantly picking up his fifth-year option.
He’s coming off a patellar tendon injury, but, even before being hobbled, there’s little hope Claiborne will reach the heights he was expected to.
New York Giants: Victor Cruz, Wide Receiver
I’ll never shit on a guy who had a bad season because of injury—as is the case with Victor Cruz in 2014—but even before Cruz blew out his knee, his production over the past two seasons was down.
Remember, this is the same dude who the Giants gave $43 million in the summer of 2013—and he complained about it nearly the second the ink had even dried—so the team has a lot invested in him.
With the breakout year fellow wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had in 2014, it’s unclear if Cruz’s stats will continue to nosedive or if he’ll benefit from the extra attention to OBJ.
Philadelphia Eagles: Sam Bradford, Quarterback
Can a guy be an underachiever even before he takes a regular season snap for his new team? Well, yes, he absolutely can.
I don’t mean to pick on quarterback Sam Bradford—who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 after winning a Heisman Trophy during his days with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Unfortunately, in Bradford’s four NFL seasons, he has only played in 49 games, basically missing an entire year due to serious injuries.
I’m not saying the Eagles came out on the wrong side of the deal that sent former starting signal-caller Nick Foles to St. Louis for Bradford, but it was a gamble that no one in Philly should be surprised to see blow up in their faces.
Looked at as the guy to lead the Eagles to new heights—AKA a Super Bowl—there might just be too much pressure on the oft-injured and inconsistent Bradford to get it done, so drink up, Eagles fans.
Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, Quarterback
Without a doubt, the easiest addition on this two-day list, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III might be the biggest disappointment in the league over the past couple of seasons.
I know, I know, RG3 has battled injuries and hasn’t exactly been given a vote of confidence by his coaching staff, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t at fault for underachieving.
After a preseason in which Griffin continues to get beaten up behind a shaky offensive line and rumors that his head coach has made shit personal between the two of them, it will be another long season for the former Offensive Rookie of the Year and his Skins.
NFC North
Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler, Quarterback
So, how can a guy who tossed more than 3,800 yards and a career high 28 TD passes in 2014 land on the most underachieving team? Because that player happens to be Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler.
OK, I’m only half kidding.
But, the serious half of Cutler’s addition to this list is because he continues to fail as a leader, leading the Bears to a paltry 5-11 record in 2014—even though he earned the highest base salary in the league at $17.5 million.
For all that money CutDawg’s getting, Da Bears deserve double-digit wins and playoff appearances, not top-10 picks in the NFL draft.
Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver
After looking at the Detroit Lions roster in-depth, I kept coming back to unworldly receiver Calvin Johnson as the team’s most underachieving player—which, unfortunately, is a direct byproduct of his dominance in previous years.
Megatron did grab 71 balls for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns, but injuries hobbled him most of 2014, costing him three full games and hobbling him in about three others where he acted more as a decoy than anything.
For those who either had him on their fantasy team—me—or donned his jersey as a Lions fan each week, football fans have come to expect more from Johnson, and his production from 2014 didn’t reflect that.
Sure, that’s nitpicky as hell, but for a future Hall of Famer and once-in-a-generation talent like Calvin Johnson, it’s his reality.
Green Bay Packers: Entire Linebacker Group
After completely shitting the bed in the second-half of the NFC Championship Game last season, blowing a 16-0 halftime lead to the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers needed to upgrade at a few positions.
The No. 1 spot to improve? The linebacking corps, which has seen a bit of an overhaul from last year.
With the addition of rookie Jake Ryan in the middle and the transition of All-Pro Clay Matthews III from the D-line to a rushing ‘backer, Green Bay has plenty of question marks for a team that gave up about 120 rushing yards a game last season—10th worst in the league.
The offense will put up numbers with reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers at the helm, but the Pack need to avoid getting in shootouts with teams—and it all starts with how their linebackers perform.
Minnesota Vikings: Cordarrelle Patterson, Wide Receiver
The 29th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Vikings wideout Cordarrelle Patterson hasn’t exactly had a great beginning to his pro career quite yet.
While nearly everyone and their mother predicted 2014 be the season Patterson emerged as a breakout star, he shit the bed, seeing his production actually decline from his rookie campaign and, at one point, even being benched at one point.
Still just 24 years old, there’s obviously still time for the kid to turn shit around, but, as a fantasy football team owner, I won’t be the one who’s going to roll the dice on this guy in my draft and get toyed with again, because he hasn’t proven he has the ability to be consistent.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Roddy White, Wide Receiver
It was only a few years ago that Falcons wideout Roddy White was about as dominating a player as the league had at his position, consistently catching over 80 balls and racking up over 1,000 yards.
But, in the last two seasons, White has been a shell of his former self, hauling in a total of 143 balls, racking up 1,632 yards and 10 TDs.
For someone not named Roddy White, those would be above-average numbers. Unfortunately, like the aforementioned Calvin Johnson, expectations for the 10-year vet are higher than that sort of production, and the Falcons need this guy to put up his usual stats to have a chance at a Super Bowl.
Carolina Panthers: The Entire Wide Receiver Group
When a team loses a 1,000-yard receiver and playmaking threat like Kelvin Benjamin—as the Carolina Panthers just did—it’s difficult to find someone who will immediately fill his shoes.
Maybe even sadder, the Panthers don’t seem to even have a wideout on the current roster who could dream up stats like that, as the team lacks anyone who scares opposing defenses.
On one side is rookie Devin Funchess, a second-round pick who has yet to play in a regular season game. The other side is even worse, as journeyman Ted Ginn Jr. lines up there, who is best-known for his return skills over catching the ball.
Carolina has a problem—and it’s something that may deter them from making a run at the NFC South title this season unless they get lucky.
New Orleans Saints: Jairus Byrd, Safety
Remember when the New Orleans Saints signed safety Jairus Byrd to a monster contract in the 2014 offseason, guaranteeing him $28 million just for signing his name on a sheet of paper?
That sure does seem like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
After ending his first season in the Big Easy on injured reserve, Byrd was incapable of helping the Saints in anyway possible, earning the distinction as one of the most underachieving players in the league simply for taking all of that cash and doing nothing to justify it.
Maybe he bounces back in 2015, but with that type of salary, it needs to be Pro Bowl or bust.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Doug Martin, Running Back
Go ahead and stand up if you were one of the dumbasses who believed in Bucs running back Doug Martin last season in fantasy football?
Yep, looks like I’ll be writing the rest of this piece on my feet, because Martin let me down in a big way in 2014.
After a rookie campaign that saw him rush for 1,454 yards and 11 TDs put hi on the map, Muscle Hamster battled injuries in 2013, playing just six games, so a bounce back ’14 campaign wasn’t completely out of the question.
Of course, that was until he gained less than 500 yards on the ground in 11 games, netting just two TDs.
Doug Martin epitomizes everything that’s frustrating with fantasy football and should never be counted on again for producing like he did in 2012—so don’t buy into all this bullshit about him feeling like he did back then.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Michael Floyd, Wide Receiver
What makes Cardinals wideout Michael Floyd so frustrating is the fact that we’ve all seen the skills before.
Not only did the dude dominate in college while at Notre Dame, but, after a decent rookie season, he had a 1,000-yard campaign in 2013 to show he could take over the reins as the team’s new No. 1 target from Larry Fitzgerald.
Well, that’s what we all thought would happen.
Dipping to just 47 catches and 841 yards in 2014, anyone who believed in Floyd as the team’s top threat got duped, as he was a major disappointment.
Of course, the Cardinals’ putrid quarterback play last year didn’t help Floyd’s cause, but still.
San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis, Tight End
An athletic freak of nature, there just wasn’t something right with Niners tight end Vernon Davis in 2014.
Nagging injuries slowed down the former Pro Bowler—along with inconsistencies in the passing game—but the biggest factor might just be the mileage on Davis’ tires.
Catching just 26 balls for 245 yards and two TDs last season, it’s unclear if Davis was just that unhealthy or if he really is on the wrong side of 30 now.
After being such a huge part of the passing game for SF in the team’s three-year run that ended with at least a trip to the NFC title game, Davis nosedived in the worst way in ’14.
Seattle Seahawks: Bruce Irvin, Linebacker
I’ve always liked the way Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin has played, but I was still never sold on him being selected 15th overall by the team during the 2012 draft.
Racking up eight sacks that rookie season may have silenced critics momentarily, but with a total of just 8.5 quarterback takedowns in the two years since, pressure’s back on the former West Virginia standout.
With Irvin’s freakout over his contract, one can’t help but roll their eyes, as this guy has done nothing to prove he is worth a deal that pays him anything more than what he is, a decent backup.
A beneficiary of a great defense, Irvin’s flaws would be exposed on a less-than-talented unit.
St. Louis Rams: Greg Robinson, Offensive Lineman
Maybe we should have all just seen this coming, huh?
After admitting last summer during his first NFL training camp that he was having difficulty adjusting to life in the pros, Rams offensive lineman Greg Robinson went out and had a forgettable season.
Selected No. 2 overall in the 2014 draft from Auburn, Robinson consistently earned bad grades for his pass protection and failure picking up the speed of the pro game.
The team has tried to help the dude out by moving him around to find his natural position on the line, but, if I were head coach Jeff Fisher, I wouldn’t trust the immobile Robinson protecting the blindside of my quarterback, that’s for damn sure.