EA Sports’ Madden franchise has the daunting task of ranking all NFL players and their attributes. While they have the ability to correct these rankings with in-season roster updates, there are some issues with the initial rankings of players. So, The Game Haus will be analyzing the most questionable ratings for players on every NFL team.
Here are the most questionable Madden 21 ratings for the Carolina Panthers.
Robby Anderson – 84
By his second season in the league undrafted free agent Robby Anderson became the number one deep threat for the New York Jets. But this past offseason Anderson decided to sign a long term deal with his former college coach at Temple Matt Rhule’s team the Carolina Panthers.
Last season was very typical for Anderson as far as comparing it to the rest of his career. Anderson ended the year with 779 yards and five touchdowns. That is one of the lowest totals of a number one receiver in the league. But in Carolina Anderson is expected to play his deep threat role, but as the teams number two receiver.
49ers sophomore receiver Deebo Samuel had over 800 yards receiving last season and is rated lower than Anderson. His former teammate Jamison Crowder was the New York Jets number one option last season with 833 yards and six touchdowns and is also rated lower than Anderson.
Anderson is considered one of the better burners in all of football. On a vert route with some space there isn’t much a defense can do to stop Anderson from scoring, however he should not be rated as one of the league’s better receivers in Madden.
Adjusted Rating- 80
Donte Jackson – 82
Over the past couple of seasons, Donte Jackson has showed potential to be the Carolina Panthers number one cornerback. Now that James Bradberry is a member of the New York Giants, Jackson is officially the Panthers’ top cornerback.
For the second season in a row, Jackson has shown that he is an interception machine. His rookie season Jackson had four interceptions and this past year he had three. He also had eight passes defended. Jackson is also known for his elite-level speed.
Many would argue that Jackson is a better cornerback than Justin Coleman of the Detroit Lions and Jimmy Smith of the Baltimore Ravens. But both are rated higher than Jackson.
The Panthers secondary is expected to struggle this season because of all of the youth and inexperience in it. Their struggles should not reflect on Jackson or his rating as he is one of the only bright spots in the secondary.
Adjusted Rating- 84
Curtis Samuel – 80
Coming out of Ohio State Curtis Samuel was a versatile offensive threat whose speed is up there with the best in the league. Carolina took him in the second round in 2017, but he has failed to emerge as more than the team’s third option. After adding Robby Anderson Samuel might be the fourth option in this offense behind Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Anderson.
Samuel’s biggest issue is not his production, he has developed into a very nice weapon for the Carolina Panthers. His problem is that he has not been able to stay healthy. He missed 10 games in his first two seasons. This past year Samuel had his best season and his most healthy season, but only managed to have 627 yards and six touchdowns that season.
Both Breshard Perriman, who is now with the New York Jets, and Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller broke out late last season for their teams and eclipsed Curtis Samuel’s stats by the end of the year. But Perriman is only a 75 and Miller is only a 76.
Samuel has a lot of potential and could reach that 80 overall rating by the end of the season. It just seems premature to give Samuel that rating now before the season.
Adjusted Rating – 77
Teddy Bridgewater – 75
The biggest signing that the Carolina Panthers made last season was bringing in former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on a three-year $63 million deal. Bridgewater will be replacing the best quarterback in franchise history Cam Newton. Over the past few seasons, Bridgewater has become a journeyman playing a preseason with the New York Jets and spending the past two seasons with the New Orleans Saints after getting drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.
In relief of Drew Brees because of injury, Bridgewater had 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns and only two interceptions last season. Bridgewater also had a 5-0 record during his starts last season. His play has thrust him back into the starting quarterback conversation and earned him this opportunity.
There are those who would put Bridgewater ahead of new Saints backup Jameis Winston and first overall pick Joe Burrow (for now). But both are rated higher than Bridgewater.
Those in the draft community are already writing off Bridgewater and mocking this year’s quarterback prospects to the Carolina Panthers. This may be because most quarterbacks who go from above average backups to starters fail in their new destinations (Case Keenum and Nick Foles). But Bridgewater has a lot of promise to turn his career around. Madden shouldn’t jump on the bandwagon of writing off Bridgewater before the season starts.
Adjusted Rating- 78
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Chris Thomas!