14 NFL Starters Who Don't Deserve Their Spot

Wide receiver Devin Hester isn't worthy of his starting roster spot for the Chicago Bears, and he's not the only starter who needs to be replaced. 

As loaded as the NFL's talent pool is from year to year, there are always teams that find themselves starting sub-par players at many positions. With that in mind, I've collected a group of 14 players who are listed as starters—but shouldn't be—on the depth chart of their respective teams.

Sometimes, the reason for this is that teams just don't have a better option and they're stuck with the best available player. Other times, as is the case with Hester and the Bears, teams stubbornly stick with a guy that they hope will fulfill their vision, even though it's never going to happen.

Note: Special thanks to OurLads.com for providing up-to-date depth charts for every team.

Jasper Brinkley, MLB, Minnesota Vikings

Paging Rick Spielman...paging Rick Spielman...E.J. Henderson is still on the market. 

Sign him. 

Right now, the Minnesota Vikings are heading into the season with Jasper Brinkley as their starting middle linebacker—the same guy that missed all of last season with a groin strain and then hip surgery, and the same guy that reaggravated the same hip in July (h/t the Augusta Chronicle). 

Oh, and don't forget about the fact that the San Francisco 49ers ran roughshod all over the Vikings defense in the first preseason game, with Brinkley as their starter. 

Henderson isn't the best guy in coverage, but he's a solid run-stuffer—something the Vikings desperately need. Brinkley has only started four games in his three-year career, and he isn't the short-term or long-term answer in the middle of that defense. 

Will Rackley, LG, Jacksonville Jaguars

Second-year guard out of Lehigh, Will Rackley suffered through a horrible rookie season for the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the worst guard in the NFL in 2011. 

I never like to see players get injured, but the Jaguars may have gotten a blessing in disguise when Rackley went down with a high-ankle sprain at the end of July.

According to ESPN's Paul Kuharsky:

"

Rackley high ankle sprain, out 3-4 weeks, Mularkey says. #Jaguars

— Paul Kuharsky (@espn_afcsouth) August 1, 2012"

Rackley's injury gives Jason Spitz an opportunity to show the Jaguars what he can do in his stead. Spitz started 45 games as a center for the Green Bay Packers earlier in his career. For the sake of Blaine Gabbert and fans of the Jaguars, I hope Spitz impresses the coaches enough for them to forget about Rackley's "potential."

Jeremy Trueblood, RT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If Josh Freeman has any chance of getting back on track for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a terrible year in 2011, he needs solid protection from his offensive linemen. 

Jeremy Trueblood was one of the worst tackles in the NFL in 2011. He only gave up four sacks, but he really didn't do Freeman any favors by giving up 50 quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus.

Not only did Trueblood stink in pass-protection, but he wasn't much better as a run-blocker, either. The Bucs would be wise to scour the free-agency market or give one of their younger players a shot at this position, otherwise Freeman and the offense will struggle again in 2012.  

David Diehl, RT, New York Giants

The New York Giants can't afford to see Eli Manning take too many hits. Without him, that team isn't going anywhere close to the playoffs—let alone another Super Bowl. 

Therefore, I'm truly baffled to see David Diehl listed as the team's starting right tackle. 

Last year, as a guard, Diehl was ranked as the second-worst guard in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. He gave up five sacks and 28 quarterback hurries...as a guard. Only three other players gave up more sacks, and only two others gave up more hurries. 

Diehl wasn't much better as a run-blocker, either. 

Now, he's expected to keep defensive ends off of Manning? I don't think so. He already tried that, back in 2010, when he started 10 games at the left tackle position for the Giants. In those 10 starts, Diehl gave up eight sacks and 38 quarterback hurries.  

That isn't going to get the job done, and the Giants need to figure it out sooner rather than later. 

Quentin Jammer, CB, San Diego Chargers

Quentin Jammer hasn't ever been a shut-down cornerback, but last year his production took a nose dive. He went from average to plain awful, and the Chargers didn't do anything about addressing the problem in the draft. 

So, Jammer is slated to be the starting cornerback in 2012, despite the fact that quarterbacks that threw his way in 2011 compiled a whopping 129.9 quarterback rating—the second-worst number of any starting cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. 

All I can say is the Chargers' front seven had better be getting mad amounts of pressure on quarterbacks in 2012, or their defense will struggle in the passing game. 

Jeromey Clary, RT, San Diego Chargers

Jeromey Clary has struggled to protect Philip Rivers the past couple of seasons for the San Diego Chargers after showing signs he could become a stalwart lineman for them in 2009. 

During the past two seasons, Clary has given up 15 sacks and 80 quarterback pressures. Last year, he was the 74th-ranked offensive tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

He's regressed badly in both of the last two years, and if the Chargers hope to keep Rivers from having another sub-par year, they need to make a change. 

Yeremiah Bell, SS, New York Jets

As good as the cornerbacks are for the New York Jets, their safeties were horrible last year. 

Things won't be much better in 2012, either. It remains to be seen whether or not LaRon Landry will be the same player he was before the Achilles injury took him out, but we know exactly what to expect from Yeremiah Bell. 

Bell isn't good in coverage, and he misses tackles in the running game. His 13 missed tackles in 2011 tied him for the eighth-worst mark in the NFL, and quarterbacks who threw his way collectively earned a 105.5 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Jets fans, but your defense is going to stink again in 2012. 

Marshall Newhouse, LT, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers will go as far as Aaron Rodgers' arm takes them in 2012. Rodgers will go as far as his offensive line takes him. 

That wouldn't give me any comfort if I were a Packers fan.

Marshall Newhouse is one of the worst tackles in the NFL. Most of the tackles in the bottom half of the league are at least decent in either run-blocking or pass-blocking, but not Newhouse. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Newhouse ranked in the bottom three in both departments in 2011...out of 76 tackles. His -40.5 overall rating was the lowest they handed out.

And he's guarding Rodgers' blind side?

Charles Godfrey, SS, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers need someone more reliable back at strong safety than Charles Godfrey. Sure, he made a couple of huge plays on 2011, but he also ended up out of position more times than is acceptable. 

Godfrey missed 18 tackles last season. Only two other starting safeties were worse than that, according to Pro Football Focus. Making matters worse, he only defended five passes out of the 867 total snaps he played in. 

The Panthers need someone who is reliable in at least one of the two areas a strong safety needs to be proficient in, but Godfrey struggles in both the running game and in the passing game. 

Levi Brown, LT, Arizona Cardinals

How is it that the Arizona Cardinals are still relying on Levi Brown to protect their quarterback, whoever it may be, to start the 2012 season?

Brown is annually one of the worst offensive linemen in football. The biggest reason is that he has slow feet, and he allows his quarterbacks to get pummeled by defensive ends on a regular basis as a result. 

Last year, only two men gave up more sacks than Brown, one of whom is no longer starting for his team. 

Brown needs to be replaced. Somehow, some way, the Cardinals need to find a better solution at left tackle. If they don't, it won't matter if it's Joe Montana behind center, because the quarterback is going to struggle. 

Roman Harper, SS, New Orleans Saints

If you're having a hard time remembering how bad Roman Harper was in pass-coverage for the New Orleans Saints, just think about his last play against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs last season. That should jog your memory. 

By the numbers, Harper was the 83rd-ranked safety by Pro Football Focus. He was dangerous as a pass-rusher in Gregg Williams' scheme, but make no mistake about it: Harper is a liability in pass-coverage. 

Harper played in 1,025 snaps in 2011, yet he only defended a pass three times. In case you're like me and you are no good at math, I can tell you that my calculator tells me that's a terrible ratio. 

Even more disturbing is that Harper missed 11 tackles in 2011.

He needs to go. Now. 

J'Marcus Webb, LT, Chicago Bears

J'Marcus Webb is simply awful. There are no nice ways of talking about how bad he is. 

He has given up 23 sacks over the past two seasons, and only Guy Whimper of the Jacksonville Jaguars has given up more. At least Whimper isn't starting any more. 

The same cannot be said for Webb, who played well into the fourth quarter in the Chicago Bears' first preseason game last week. According to CSNChicago.com's John Mullin:

"

J’Marcus Webb was still on the field deep into the fourth quarter, failing to show anything close to what coaches are expecting from what they hope will be a dominating No. 1 left tackle.

"

Have the Bears' coaches been watching the same tape that I have these past two years? How in their right minds could they still think he has the potential to be a "dominating No. 1 left tackle"?

Something isn't right in the Windy City, and I'm not even done talking about the Bears yet. 

Dwight Freeney, OLB, Indianapolis Colts

No disrespect to Dwight Freeney is intended here. I truly appreciate him for his past accomplishments, but he's not the man for the job at outside linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. 

The Colts switched to a 3-4 defense this summer. Freeney isn't suited for either the defensive end or the outside linebacker spot in this scheme. 

During the short amount of time he played in the team's first preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, Freeney looked extremely uncomfortable in space on the outside. Conversely, Jerry Hughes looked phenomenal playing the exact same position when Freeney went out of the game, hauling in two sacks.

Freeney time in Indy is over. Or, at least it should be.  

Devin Hester, No. 2 WR, Chicago Bears

How much longer are Chicago Bears fans going to have to suffer the front office's decision to force Devin Hester down their throats as a wide receiver?

That's the question.

It was kind of fun for the first two years, as everyone waited for Hester to get a firm grasp of his responsibilities as a receiver. After all, he was/is one of the most explosive men in the NFL when he has the ball in his hands. 

Five years into the experiment, though, and it's clear to all with eyes to see that Hester isn't a starting receiver. Sure, he'd be a great slot receiver in three-or-four-receiver sets, but he'll never be the answer on the outside as a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver.

If you need any further proof, I have it for you. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Hester was targeted 53 times last season but only came down with 26 catches. That means that he only caught passes 49.1 percent of the time they were thrown his way. 

Earl Bennett, on the other hand, caught 60 percent of the passes thrown his way, and he put up comparable numbers to Hester with less opportunities. He should be the No. 2 until Alshon Jeffery is ready for that responsibility. 

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. If you want to talk NFL football, hit me up on Twitter @JesseReed78.