Williamson: Breaking down every AFC team's most overrated player

Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of the podcast "Football Today."

Free agency is right around the corner and we are seeing teams starting to purge their unwanted and overpriced players to make more salary cap space.

Very soon, players will be swapping teams at a breakneck rate.

But before we get into that frenzy, let's look at one player from each team, this time from the AFC, that gains more national notoriety than he properly deserves. Obviously we avoided free agents-to-be for this exercise and concentrated on players returning with their same squad, but when you are overrated in this league, you can be without a job in the blink of an eye, especially this time of year.

AFC East

Bills - Marcell Dareus

By no means is Dareus a poor player. In fact, he is a very good defender against both the run and pass. But this is an immensely talented player selected very early in an exceptional draft year and the Bills need more from him. They need Dareus to be dominant.

A new Panthers-like scheme where Dareus can play the Kawann Short role might do wonders for his career and springboard him to where Buffalo needs him to be.

Dolphins - Kiko Alonso

Many were very critical of the Dolphins when they made a trade a year ago with the Eagles to acquire Alonso and Byron Maxwell. Maxwell played very well in his first season in Miami, but Alonso looks like more of part of the problem rather than the solution for the Dolphins' linebackers, which very well could be the worst in the league.

Patriots - Rob Ninkovich

Overrated players don't last very long in New England, so picking someone here isn't easy. Ninkovich is getting older, but wasn't very potent in 2016. New England really needs to address its edge pass-rush.

Jets - Darrelle Revis

No team regressed more from 2015 to 2016 than the Jets. New York's roster is littered with overrated big name players whose play on the field just doesn't live up to their name recognition. Revis exemplifies this better than anyone.

AFC North

Ravens - Elvis Dumervil

Always a unique type of edge rusher because of his size, Dumervil's effectiveness waned with age. Now, there is talk that he could be released to make cap space, something the Ravens are lacking. However, Baltimore is also short on options with its edge pass-rush as well.

Bengals - Jeremy Hill

The Bengals have quite a few options for this dishonor, which obviously isn't a great sign for the roster, overall. Hill gets what is blocked and not much more. He is somewhat heavy-footed and lacks elusive traits. In a rich running back draft, the Bengals might consider drafting a back early to push Hill.

Browns - Joe Haden

Haden's supporting cast hasn't done him any favors the past few years in Cleveland. However, this is clearly a player whose name recognition and previous years' accomplishments outweighs what he brings to the field now, week after week. Haden also was never an elite athlete in his prime.

Steelers - Jesse James

Some view James as a replacement for Heath Miller, a long-time fixture at tight end for the Steelers. The reality is that James is much more of a second tight end. Pittsburgh knows this, which is why it signed Ladarius Green a year ago and may even continue to address the position.

AFC South

Texans - DeAndre Hopkins

Of course, it's popular to crucify the Texans' quarterback situation and blame Brock Osweiler for everything that went wrong with Houston's offense … and hey, much of that is very deserving. However, even in 2015 when Hopkins was flooded with targets, he was never an elite separator or big play receiver. Hopkins is very good, but he isn't great or special.

Colts - Phillip Dorsett

The Colts shocked many by using a first-round pick on Dorsett in 2015 despite having so many other needs on their roster. Well, Dorsett hasn't done anything to make that draft selection any less deserving of criticism.

Jaguars - Allen Hurns

Certainly Blake Bortles’ play dropped in a big way from 2015 to a year ago, although his play in 2015 was inflated by game situations. Hurns and Allen Robinson's numbers plummeted, but unlike the case with Robinson, Hurns has far more limitations and very well could've had his best year as a pro in 2015.

Titans - Tajae Sharpe

There was an awful lot of buzz around Sharpe in the preseason and early on in the 2016 regular season. Sure, he may have exceeded his draft position and looks like a quality NFL wide receiver, but by no means is Sharpe anything resembling a number one wideout. In fact, he is probably best served as a depth player.

AFC West

Broncos - Demaryius Thomas

As is the case with several players on this list, Thomas is a very good player. He is big, physical, and talented. However, the argument could easily be made that he should be more of a difference-maker considering his immense gifts.

Chiefs - Alex Smith

Opinions are all over the place on Smith and you can make a strong case that he is an above-average NFL quarterback (something many teams would love to have) or that he is the definition of quarterback purgatory. We all know exactly what Smith is, but in the end, that isn’t good enough.

Chargers - Orlando Franklin

Big and lumbering, as is the case with much of Los Angeles’ offensive line, Franklin was highly disappointing this past season. Many were unsure if he would be better served at right tackle or guard, but now the answer might be "none of the above."

Raiders - Clive Walford

Coming off his rookie season, Walford looked very promising. However, he didn’t take that anticipated next step forward last year. The ability is there for Walford to become a starting caliber tight end, but will the Raiders add someone of consequence at the position?