As the new season creeps closer, so does the release of Madden 21. Recently, player ratings at the launch were revealed (which can be found on EA’s website), and reactions were as fiery as ever.
The Eagles boast some good players, as 15 are over 80 and four are over 90. But some ratings seem too low. Let’s see which players’ ratings hit the mark, and which ratings leave less to be desired.
Carson Wentz
Wentz starts off the year with a Madden rating of 84, which gives him the ninth-highest rating among all QBs and ties him with Dak Prescott, adding to their deep rivalry.
Deshaun Watson has the next highest rating with an 86. Looking at this from a stats perspective, Wentz actually had one more touchdown thrown than Watson with 27, although he had a 93.1 QB rating in comparison to Watson’s 98.0.
Back in 2017, Wentz was well on his way to being in the 90s, but his injury problems have since hurt his upward climb. It might be a stretch to say Wentz is better than Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, but he performed better than Tom Brady last year, who possesses a 90 rating.
So while Wentz probably belongs in the mid-80s, his 84 still feels incorrect for someone who has put up stats similar to that of the league’s best quarterbacks. At the very least, Wentz seems to be closer to Watson’s rating than he does Prescott’s.
Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz certainly wasn’t happy with his Madden rating, and he wasn’t afraid to voice it:
— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) July 17, 2020
George Kittle and Travis Kelce are both incredible TEs who put up 1,000 yards last year, so them being ranked ahead of Ertz isn’t upsetting. But the real problem lies with Rob Gronkowski’s 95 rating.
First, Gronkowski missed all of last season, so one would expect there to be a significant rating decline. Secondly, Gronkowski’s 2019 was, by his standards, very subpar. He put up just 682 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games.
Gronkowski was part of the 99 club in Madden 19, so him experiencing only a four-point drop seems a bit unfair, especially considering Ertz has been just as consistent as Gronkowski was when he last played. Ertz does have a 92 catch rating, which was earned through the 204 receptions he’s made the past two seasons.
Miles Sanders
Going into the 2019 season, Sanders struggled out of the gate and seemed to be second-fiddle to the bruising Jordan Howard. However, as Howard faced injury woes, Sanders took the reigns and finished the season with 1,327 yards from scrimmage, giving the team the premiere duel-threat back they’ve been missing.
Sanders’ efforts earned him a rating of… 80, which feels incredibly low for a player who put up huge numbers as a rookie and showed great athletic ability not only as a runner and receiver but also as a returner. The next highest back on the Eagles is Corey Clement, who carries a 74 rating.
Sanders does have a 90-speed rating and a 91 acceleration, which seems correct. Sanders didn’t comment on his rating, but before they were released he did give an idea to fans on what he felt he should be valued at:
At least a 85
— Miles Sanders (@BoobieMilesXXIV) July 13, 2020
Fletcher Cox
Fletcher Cox comes out with the highest score of any Eagle, with a pretty 96 rating. That makes him the highest-ranking defensive tackle in the game, and it’s a well-deserved honor. While Cox’s stats may seem underwhelming (he registered just three and a half sacks in 2019), Cox is a line disrupter who is terrific at creating pressure. The five-time Pro Bowler is no doubt exactly where he should be rated.
Darius Slay
The high-profile trade acquisition over the offseason, Slay was also unhappy with his Madden rating:
87🤦🏾♂️ @EAMaddenNFL I need answers right now!!!! https://t.co/ictbZA3TD4
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) July 13, 2020
Since this tweet, Slay was moved up to an 88. Slay was elected to his third-straight Pro Bowl in 2019, although he finished with just two interceptions and 13 passes defended, both his lowest totals since 2016. Slay ranks as the ninth-highest corner, tied with Byron Jones. Perhaps Slay’s ratings gripe will be an additional motivator for him.
Best of the Rest
Jason Kelce is ranked a 94, and considering he was an All-Pro last season, that rating feels acceptable. Brandon Brooks, who won’t be playing this season due to a torn ACL, received a 93. Alshon Jeffrey, who only had 490 yards last season, received an 84. That feels a tad generous. DeSean Jackson finishes one point lower with a rating of 83.
Rookies
First-round pick Jalen Reagor starts off his Madden career with a rating of 73. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts and John Hightower both received ratings of 68. Hurts’ biggest strengths, according to Madden, aren’t his QB skills but rather his athletics. Hurts has an 86 for speed (eighth-best among QBs), an 89 for acceleration, and an 88 for agility (both seventh-best). Perhaps the Eagles could use his speed in other ways in real life?
BONUS: Nelson Agholor
The now-Oakland Raider is a 77 with an 84 catching rate. 84. We’ll just leave these here.
