Here's a team by team breakdown of the 32 least valuable players in the NFL

2015 salary cap hit: $5.5 million

Royal was signed last summer to essentially replace Brandon Marshall as Chicago's other starting receiver but Royal was a huge disappointment in an injury-plagued year, registering just one touchdown in nine games.

Royal's 6.4 yards per reception was the lowest mark among 119 qualified receivers.

#31. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Cooper

2015 salary cap hit: $4.0 million

Cooper, a top-10 pick out of North Carolina in the 2013 NFL Draft, received his first dose of extended playing time this season. It did not go well. as he allowed 19 QB hurries in nine games at right guard before injuring his knee. 

#30. Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Fisher

2015 salary cap hit: $6.1 million

It's hard to find a glaring LVP on the Chiefs, who boasted one of the NFL's best defenses and valiantly overcame injury problems on offense.

However, Kansas City's front office was likely expecting more from Fisher in his third season. The former No. 1 overall pick certainly made progress in 2015 after two miserable seasons to begin his professional career, but he still hasn't lived up to his draft status. He allowed five sacks in 14 regular starts at left tackle, and is no sure thing to hold a starting job into 2016.

#29. Philadelphia Eagles: DeMarco Murray

2015 salary cap hit: $5.0 million

One of last offseason's biggest free agent signings, Murray inked a five-year, $40 million deal with Philadelphia to be the new featured back in Chip Kelly's offense.

It proved to be an ill-advised personnel move as Murray was a poor fit for Kelly's running scheme, which emphasized outside-zone plays instead of the north-south running style Murray excels with.

The 27-year-old endured the worst professional season of his career just one year after leading the NFL in rushing, while the exceptional play of backfield mates Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles pushed Murray to the sideline as the season went on. He ended up playing in less than half of Philly's snaps, rushing for a career-worst 3.6 yards per carry.

#28. Minnesota Vikings: Mike Wallace

2015 salary cap hit: $9.9 million

The Vikings took a flier on Wallace during the offseason by acquiring him and a seventh-round draft pick for a fifth-round pick. That gamble didn't pay off, as the 29-year-old produced the worst statistical season of his career by a wide margin.

Wallace posted career lows in yards (473), yards per reception (12.1) and touchdowns (two). He also caught just 57 percent of his targets, 87th among 119 qualified receivers. 

#27. Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams

2015 salary cap hit: $893,955

Adams had an opportunity to seize Green Bay's No. 2 receiver slot after Jordy Nelson was lost for the year with a torn ACL. However, the second-year Fresno State product squandered that chance, and was in fact ranked as the second-worst WR in the league.

He dropped the ball ten times (tied for sixth-most in the league) but even when he did catch the ball, he couldn't do much with it — his average of 9.7 yards per reception ranked in the bottom 10th percentile among qualified wideouts.

#26. Dallas Cowboys: Matt Cassel

2015 salary cap hit: $1.8 million

Considering Tony Romo's lengthy medical history, Dallas probably should have invested more in a decent backup quarterback heading into 2015. Instead, they rode with Brandon Weeden as the No. 2 guy in training camp. Things predictably unraveled after Romo fractured his collarbone in Week 2.

Weeden was summarily dumped after a few ineffective starts for Cassel, who turned out to be a shell of the player who once capably replaced Tom Brady for an entire season.

Cassel tossed five touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight starts, averaging just 6.3 yards per attempt, the second-worst mark in the league. 

#25. Washington Redskins: Dashon Goldson

2015 salary cap hit: $4 million

Washington's secondary had to overcome injuries for practically the entire season, and Goldson at least gave the unit some veteran leadership and consistency. However, his on-field contributions left a lot of room for improvement.

Pro Football Focus graded Goldson as the worst safety in the NFL to play at least 25 percent of his team's snaps, making it the third straight year he's been ranked 81st or below. His 19 missed tackles also ranked as the second-most in the league among safeties.

#24. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiah Poutasi and Byron Bell

Poutasi
2015 salary cap hit: $635,564

Bell
2015 salary cap hit: $1.5 million

Poutasi, a rookie out of Utah, was an adequate run blocker, but allowed seven sacks and seven other QB hits in just eight games. Rightfully concerned for the safety of franchise cornerstone Marcus Mariota, interim coach Mike Mularkey decided to insert the veteran Bell mid-season. That stopped the bleeding in pass protection, but Bell was a liability in Tennessee's dreadful run game.

#23. New York Jets: Tommy Bohanon

2015 salary cap hit: $600,562

Fullbacks are a dying breed in the NFL, but those who are still around are expected to block and run, or at least execute one of those duties to near perfection.

Bohanan racked up a whopping total of 58 all-purpose yards in 2015, so it's fair to say his main function in New York's offense is blocking. Unfortunately, Pro Football Focus graded him as the worst blocking fullback in the league.

#22. Indianapolis Colts: Dwayne Allen

2015 salary cap hit: $1.7 million

Allen is another skill player who lagged on the dirty work in 2015, with Pro Football Focus ranking him as the second-worst tight end in run blocking; a fall from grace given he was ranked as the NFL's best run-blocking tight end during his rookie year in 2012.

His receiving numbers plummeted, from a gaudy 2014 line of 395 yards and eight touchdowns to just 109 yards and a single score in 2015. His rookie contract with the Colts expires this offseason, and it's unlikely both he and fellow pending free agent Coby Fleener will return to Indianapolis.

#21. Houston Texans: Jared Crick

2015 salary cap hit: $1.6 million

Crick provided subpar play at the defensive end spot not occupied by J.J. Watt. Since teams often direct a lot of attention towards Watt, that opens up opportunities for his other defensive linemen to thrive. Crick did not take advantage of that, compiling just two sacks and 29 solo tackles.

#20. New England Patriots: Marcus Cannon and Cameron Fleming

Cannon
2015 salary cap hit: $2.6 million

Fleming
2015 salary cap hit: $360,000

Offensive tackle was a problem for New England almost all year, after Nate Solder's season-ending injury forced Sebastian Vollmer to move from right tackle to the left side. Both Cannon and Fleming filled in on the right side for parts of nine games, but neither truly embodied the Patriots mantra: "Do Your Job."

Cannon started against Denver in the AFC Championship and was exposed by Von Miller, allowing seven QB hurries and two sacks. The Patriots brought in Fleming as an extra tackle at one point, and the pair still couldn't stop Miller.

#19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Henry Melton

2015 salary cap hit: $3.8 million

Melton, a former Chicago Bear, signed with Tampa Bay on a one-year pact last offseason to reunite with Lovie Smith in a familiar scheme. After a lackluster campaign and the dismissal of Smith, it's unlikely he'll return to the Bucs.

The 29-year-old totaled 30 tackles, with two sacks and one forced fumble, which probably wasn't worth the $3.8 million price tag.

#18. San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernick

2015 salary cap hit: $15.3 million

When Kaepernick was benched for Blaine Gabbert mid-season, NFL fans responded with incredulity and ridicule. How could Gabbert, an infamously poor quarterback in Jacksonville, possibly be better than a guy who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl just three years ago?

Well, the sad truth is that the Niners probably made the right move. Kaepernick was the NFL's worst quarterback in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus. Yes, even worse than Nick Foles.

Kaepernick threw six touchdowns against five interceptions in eight games. San Francisco scored single digits in four of his eight starts, and never did again after Gabbert took over.

#17. Carolina Panthers: Ed Dickson

2015 salary cap hit: $1.5 million

The Panthers couldn't field premier talent at wide receiver this year after Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in training camp, so the Panthers often used Dickson, a backup tight end, alongside first-stringer Greg Olsen.

Unfortunately, Dickson ended up as the worst blocker at his position this season. He also failed to move the needle in Carolina's aerial attack, gaining just 7.1 yards per reception, the second-lowest mark among tight ends with at least 25 targets.

#16. Oakland Raiders: D.J. Hayden

2015 salary cap hit: $2.8 million

The former No. 13 overall pick was the league's third-worst cornerback in pass coverage out of 115 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. Opposing QBs totaled a 104.1 passer rating while throwing against Hayden, as he allowed 772 yards with five touchdowns and one interception in 101 passing attempts.

Hayden enters the final year of his rookie deal with considerable pressure to step up his game.

#15. Atlanta Falcons: Paul Worrilow

2015 salary cap hit: $585,668

Worrilow has led the Falcons in combined tackles for three years running, but don't let those empty numbers fool you. The former undrafted free agent has been in way over his head during his tenure in Atlanta, whose uninspiring corps of linebackers is becoming too big of a problem for coach Dan Quinn to ignore.

Worrilow's 18 missed tackles were tied for eighth-most among inside linebackers. He wasn't credited with any sacks, forced one fumble and hauled in two interceptions while playing 88 percent of Atlanta's defensive snaps.

#14. Jacksonville Jaguars: Chris Clemons

2015 salary cap hit: $5 million

Clemons was unfathomably ineffective during his second year in Jacksonville. He tallied 14 combined tackles and three sacks in 16 games, and missed six tackles.

It was a stunning fall from grace for a guy who posted three straight seasons with double-digit sack totals in Seattle from 2010-2012. He simply hasn't been the same guy since signing a four-year, $17.5 million contract with Jacksonville in 2014. The 34-year-old deservedly garnered the dishonor of being ranked as the worst 4-3 defensive end in football by Pro Football Focus.

#13. Detroit Lions: Travis Swanson

2015 salary cap hit: $700,000

The second-year Arkansas product was the NFL's second-worst pass blocker at his position, according to Pro Football Focus, giving up 24 QB hurries. Even if you have as strong of an arm as Matthew Stafford's, it's hard to complete passes when there's pressure coming right at you from the interior of the offensive line.

#12. Denver Broncos: Michael Schofield

2015 salary cap hit: $652,300

Schofield was called "the least popular Bronco in the Peyton Manning era" by Broncos blog Mile High Report, so it's not at all a stretch to call him the team's LVP this season.

The 25-year-old has rebounded in the playoffs with a couple of solid performances against Pittsburgh and New England, but he was overmatched during his 14 regular season starts. His nine sacks allowed were tied for second-most in the league among tackles.

#11. Cincinnati Bengals: Russell Bodine

2015 salary cap hit: $624,114

The king of the bench press at the 2014 NFL Combine, Bodine has yet to convert that extraordinary strength in the weight room into success on the field. Even though he's played every snap for Cincinnati for two years running, he was actually graded more harshly by Pro Football Focus in 2015 than he was during his rookie campaign.

According to PFF, he was a better run blocker than only two other centers in the league. He wasn't exactly stellar in pass protection, either.

#10. Pittsburgh Steelers: Antwon Blake

2015 salary cap hit: $1.5 million

It would not be a stretch to say Blake was the worst cornerback in the league this season. He allowed the most receptions (76) and yards (1,074) of any corner, missed the most tackles (28) by 12 over the next closest player, and tied for the second-most touchdowns allowed (eight).

Offensive coordinators are quick to sniff out weakness in opposing defenses in the NFL, and they quickly learned to pick on Blake this season. He was thrown at 110 times, the third-highest total in the NFL.

It would probably be a shock if they brought back the former undrafted free agent in 2016.

#9. Cleveland Browns: Cameron Erving

2015 salary cap hit: $1.7 million

Former Browns coach Mike Pettine indicated Erving took "a step forward" after moving to right guard for the season's final three games, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. However, Pro Football Focus' individual game grades for Erving  indicate two of his three worst performances came following the switch from left guard.

Whatever the case, Erving would have to take a giant leap forward in 2016 to justify his draft slot and salary.

#8. Seattle Seahawks: Justin Britt

2015 salary cap hit: $785,666

Britt played nearly every snap for Seattle at left guard this year despite grading out as the second-worst guard in the NFL out of 82 qualified players. This, after enduring a trying rookie season at right tackle.

The 2014 second-round pick might have run out of chances with the Seahawks, who will almost certainly try to upgrade the weakest link on their mediocre offensive line this offseason.

#7. Los Angeles Rams: Greg Robinson

2015 salary cap hit: $4.8 million

Robinson was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he sure hasn't played like it since entering the league. In fact, he's gotten worse.

After grading out at -21.4 in 2014, Robinson ranked 73rd out of 76 qualifying guards in 2015 with a -36.2 rating from Pro Football Focus. He allowed four fewer sacks this season while playing every snap, but was responsible for a league-high 19 QB hits.

#6. Baltimore Ravens: James Hurst

2015 salary cap hit: $513,000

Hurst ranked ahead of just one tackle among 76 qualifying players, giving up at least three QB hurries in five separate games in 2015.

The most damaging play Hurst was involved in? Late in their contest against the Rams, Hurst was bowled over backwards by rookie defensive end Matt Longacre. Hurst fell backwards into Joe Flacco's leg, tearing the ACL inside his quarterback's knee and effectively curtailing Baltimore's hopes for playoff football. 

#5. Miami Dolphins: Dallas Thomas

2015 salary cap hit: $761,594

Thomas was the worst guard in the NFL this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He ranked in the bottom two for both pass blocking and run blocking, and Ryan Tannehill's development certainly wasn't aided by Thomas' poor play.

Thomas gave up 10 sacks, the most of any guard, and 36 QB hurries, which placed him in the top three. It'd be a shock if new Dolphins coach Adam Gase decided to give Thomas another shot at a starting job in 2016.

#4. Buffalo Bills: Preston Brown

2015 salary cap hit: $702,000

One year after the Bills assembled a consensus top-five defense under former coordinator Jim Schwartz, head coach Rex Ryan barged in and installed a new scheme that didn't jell nearly as well as anticipated.

Ryan's scheme, which depends on forcing sacks and turnovers through complex blitz packages, didn't accomplish its primary objective. The Bills ranked 31st in the league with 21 sacks, and were in the middle of the pack with 23 turnovers.

Brown proved to be a particularly poor fit, ranking dead last in Pro Football Focus' ranking of 94 qualified linebackers. He didn't record a single sack, allowed opposing receivers to catch 38-of-45 balls when he was targeted in pass coverage, and was rated by PFF as the second-worst run defender among linebackers.

#3. New Orleans Saints: Brandon Browner

The days of Browner constituting one-fourth of Seattle's "Legion of Boom" are long gone; the 31-year-old ranked second in yards allowed to opposing wideouts (964). Quarterbacks logged an astronomical passer rating of 122.5 when targeting him, the worst such mark allowed among corners with at least 1,000 snaps. Browner also missed 14 tackles, tied for third-most among corners.

Don't forget about the penalties either, as Browner was flagged 23 times, a record for cornerbacks since Pro Football Focus started tracking penalties in 2007. 

Even though the Saints would only save $1 million on their 2016 salary cap by cutting Browner this offseason, it's plausible they'd rather eat $5.3 million of dead money and let some younger guys get some playing time than pay Browner $6.3 million to see out his deal.

#2. New York Giants: Ereck Flowers

2015 salary cap hit: $2.6 million

The Giants spent their first-round pick on Flowers last summer, making him the No. 9 overall selection. He didn't come close to validating that lofty billing in his rookie campaign.

Pro Football Focus ranked the former Miami Hurricanes standout as the worst tackle in football, thanks to his atrocious pass blocking. His 47 QB hurries allowed were the most in the league, while his 17 QB hits ranked behind only Greg Robinson.

Perhaps even more alarmingly, Flowers' worst-graded game by PFF came in the final contest of the season against Philadelphia, when he allowed two sacks and five QB hurries. If Flowers doesn't reverse his trajectory in a hurry next season, newly promoted head coach Ben McAdoo might not exhibit much patience with him.

#1. San Diego Chargers: Trevor Robinson

The center position was cursed with injury for the Chargers in 2014, as San Diego became the first team since the AFL-NFL merger to start five players at the position. Robinson was the last player to take over at the position then, and was pressed into duty again this season after Chris Watt fell victim to the injury bug in Week 3.

Robinson stayed healthy for the rest of 2015, but that didn't exactly help the Chargers, giving up a position-high eight sacks, the most by any center since 2008. PFF also anointed him as the second-worst run blocker at his position.

Thanks to those injuries, and the fact that three of San Diego's guards ranked among the bottom 15 of the NFL's 82 qualified guards, Melvin Gordon was basically hung out to dry during his rookie season. Though his average of 3.5 yards per carry was dreadful, he elicited 34 missed tackles, a top-10 mark in the NFL.

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