Thousands of athletes have played in the NFL, mostly because the average length of a pro football career is only about three-and-a-half years. NFL fans remember the great players, but what about the bad ones? They deserve recognition too, at least in some form. So today we’ll look at every NFL franchise’s worst player ever and decide who truly helped these teams become the worst in the sport.
First, however, let’s clarify that we’re talking about players who arrived with big reputations and carried a lot of expectations. We’re not talking about backups that nobody cares about but rather players who disappointed amid sky-high hype like Ryan Leaf. With this in mind, let’s start pulling names out of the trash can.
Arizona Cardinals – Clyde Duncan
There’s little doubt that Clyde Duncan was the worst player in the Cardinals’ history. The wide receiver arrived in 1984 after he starred for the Tennessee in college. His electrifying performances for the Volunteers prompted Arizona to make him a first-round pick. But this proved to be a massive mistake because he was one of the biggest draft busts ever.
Duncan failed to deliver for the franchise with just four receptions in two seasons. The Cardinals expected more than a single touchdown from their first-rounder. But he failed to acclimatize to the NFL and never exploded into life. Even when he joined the Browns after the Cardinals released him, he flopped and retired in 1987 (via USA Today Sports).