The Madden 22 ratings have finally been unveiled. As always, there are some questionable ratings for players on every single team. In this series, TGH writers will give their opinions on the most overrated and underrated players on each roster. Here are the Madden 22 most underrated Cincinnati Bengals.
Jessie Bates III
Bates has proven himself over the last couple of years and is one of the best safeties in the league. He had 25 passes defended, three interceptions and 109 total tackles in 2021. His play even got him recognized as the best safety in the league by Pro Football Focus. Madden did decide to give him some respect by ranking him 91 overall, good enough to be tied for fourth as a safety.
Unfortunately, that still doesn’t give Bates the proper resepct. With Tyrann Mathieu (95), Budda Baker (93) and Devin McCourty (92) ranking higher than him, Bates should at least be moved up to tie Baker. As the best safety in the league by PFF, which is by no means infallible, Bates should be given the benefit of the doubt, even if these things are very fluid. To start this year, Bates should be moved up a couple of points to reflect how well he played last season.
Madden 22 rating: 91
Adjusted rating: 93 (+2)
D.J. Reader
One of the biggest signings of the NFL offseason in 2020 was the Bengals inking D.J. Reader to a deal. He had impressed in his time as a nose tackle for the Houston Texans and really shored up the defensive line for the Bengals. Reader had the first major injury of his career in his first year as a Bengal. He had a quad injury that only allowed him to play in five games.
Madden decided that the injury waranted Reader being ranked an 82 overall this season. There are 13 defensive tackles ranked ahead of Reader in Madden 22. When healthy, Reader has proven to be more effective than guys ranked ahead of him like Tyson Alualu. Reader doesn’t need to be made the best defensive tackle in the game, but his rating deserves to be boosted a few points.
Madden 22 rating: 82
Adjusted rating: 85 (+3)
Riley Reiff
It is no secret that the offensive line is a weakness for the Bengals. The team struggled last season and added Riley Reiff to the fold. Reiff has done a solid job protecting Kirk Cousins in Minnesota and should be a solid right tackle for the Bengals this season.
Madden really didn’t have much respect for Reiff and rated him a 73. There are 41 players that rank higher than Reiff. Reiff actually graded higher than his teammate Jonah Williams on PFF, but is rated two points worse. Both should be solid starters, and even if Williams progresses this season to be even better, he isn’t there quite yet. Reiff should be at least rated the same as Williams
Madden 22 rating: 73
Adjusted rating: 75 (+2)
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