Madden 24 ratings have been revealed and Cincinnati Bengals fans are confused why these players were rated as low as they were. Obviously, not every player can receive a 99 rating (and only four of them have indeed earned that rating) but these players were absolutely disrespected by their ratings.
Let's take a look at three Bengals who should have legitimate gripes about their Madden ratings.
3. Orlando Brown Jr.
The Bengals signing this offseason Orlando Brown Jr. was a huge move and one that needed to be made if the team was serious about finally shoring up the offensive line. We did see the offensive line start to gel near the end of last year's regular season but unfortunately, injuries did the unit in and we saw what that led to.
Brown was signed as an improvement at the left tackle position and it was a move that was highly praised this spring. That's why it's interesting to see Brown receive only an 83 in the ratings. An 83 isn't bad by any means but for a guy who surrendered just four sacks in the 2022 season and zero in the Super Bowl, it feels that he deserved a higher rating.
2. Germaine Pratt
The Bengals re-signed Germaine Pratt this offseason and it was a no-brainer after the season the linebacker put together in 2022. Pratt was a monster on the gridiron, scoring an overall PFF grade of 80.6 and a sparkling coverage grade of 90.1.
After the season Pratt had in 2022 it felt that he'd receive a rating in the 80s but he ended up with a 78 rating from Madden. Again, I understand that not every player can rate highly but Pratt continues to be under appreciated. Hopefully, he proves the game wrong with an even better season in 2023.
1. D.J. Reader
Out of all of the guys on this list, D.J. Reader ended up with the highest rating (rightfully) but it still didn't do his performance justice. After a season where Reader finished with a PFF grade of 87.3, he only notched a Madden rating of 87. It feels as though the defensive tackle should have been in the 90s range, especially considering the drop-off the Bengals' defense had without him on the field.
Maybe Reader's injuries worked against him here but it feels like Madden isn't fully aware of just how dominant Reader is.