Madden 20 is scheduled to release in August and the moment has arrived for both fans and players to be excited or outraged about this year’s ratings. Madden ratings are constantly updated once released, but it’s always fun to overreact when the launch ratings are announced. Even the “Madden 99 Club” has become an exciting social media dynamic with players being announced one by one.
Today, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about the Dallas Cowboys’ Madden 20 ratings!
The Second Best Team
It may come as a surprise that the Dallas Cowboys own the second highest overall in this year’s game. With 86 on both offense and defense, America’s Team ultimately amounts to an overall rating of 88. Second only to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys’ ratings in the upcoming EA game should have fans excited to play.
While it is surprising to see Dallas over the current NFC champions, the L.A. Rams, or the the New England Patriots, the rating makes sense.
The Cowboys are very talented (Brandt actually named them the second most talented team in the NFL) and are loaded in the trenches. Offensive linemen Tyron Smith (94 OVR), Zack Martin (96 OVR) and Travis Frederick (94 OVR) really boost the team’s overall rating. Not to mention a talented defense, specially at LB and DE.
Top 5 Cowboys in Madden 20
Only five Dallas Cowboys got a 90+ rating in this year’s edition of Madden.
RG Zack Martin – 96 Overall
I cannot disagree with Martin being the highest-graded player on the Cowboys. This guy might be the best OL on the team and he hasn’t missed serious time throughout his career. He’s been the best right guard since arriving to the NFL in 2014 and hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down.
Martin is the second best offensive lineman in the game (Packers LT David Bakhtiari is 97) and the best guard.
C Travis Frederick – 94 Overall
The Cowboys’ center will be back on the field after missing the 2018 season and EA holds him at the top of his game. Although there is uncertainty about his health in real life, it doesn’t affect his numbers on Madden. Frederick definitely deserves to be tied with Eagles’ Jason Kelce for the throne among centers.
LT Tyron Smith – 94 Overall
Smith’s injuries have cost him the title for best LT in football, but when healthy, #77 still dominates on the field. Hopefully, the Cowboys are able to get him for 16 games this season. After missing time in three consecutive seasons, Smith has something to prove this year.
RB Ezekiel Elliott – 94 Overall
Lucky for you and me, we don’t have to worry about any potential holdouts in Madden (that’d be an interesting yet annoying feature). Ezekiel Elliott is the second best RB in the game (Gurley is #1), which seems fair to me. With a 94 overall rating, my only complaint would be Zeke’s elusiveness being a mere 85.
CB Byron Jones – 91 Overall
Coming in to finish off the Cowboys’ Top 5 is your second-team All-Pro CB Byron Jones! After a breakout year in 2018, it’s nice to see Madden give him credit. We don’t know if he’ll stick around in Dallas for long, but when you play franchise mode, it’ll be up to you.
DeMarcus Lawrence Got a What, Now?
You probably noticed a name missing in the Cowboys “90+ Club,” didn’t you?
Somehow, someway, EA Sports decided DeMarcus Lawrence was only worthy of an 89 overall rating. To which I say, and I’m sure Cowboys Nation echoes me: that’s ridiculous!
I’ll go ahead and list the pass rushers that are ranked above Lawrence:
- Aaron Donald – 99 OVR (Fair, he’s the best defensive player in the game)
- Khalil Mack – 99 OVR (Fair)
- Von Miller – 97 OVR (Fair)
- J.J. Watt – 97 OVR (I can live with it, he did have an All-Pro season and 16 sacks)
- Calais Campbell – 92 OVR
- Jadeveon Clowney – 92 OVR
- Myles Garrett – 91 OVR
- Cameron Jordan – 91 OVR
- Brandon Graham – 89 OVR (Tied with D-Law)
Man, I think the folks over at EA Sports are hugely underrating Lawrence. He might be the best EDGE rusher against the run and is among the best in the NFL rushing the passer. I get why he’s not in the top 4, but he should be somewhere between Myles Garrett and Calais Campbell without a doubt.
Oh, by the way, DeMarcus Lawrence is asking Cowboys Nation to start a “Madden Strike.”
HOLD UP @EAMaddenNFL you not just going to disrespeck me like that with an 89 and get away with it….PUT. SOME. RESPECK. ON. https://t.co/ndDkGvo7gx.
UNTIL THEN COWBOYS NATION IS ON MADDEN STRIKE! RT @dallascowboys Nation show em we ain’t playin bih. pic.twitter.com/okVXyooI3l
— DeMarcus Lawrence (@TankLawrence) July 15, 2019
I love you as much as the next fan, Lawrence, but I’m getting the game. My bad. I’m sure it won’t be long before they upgrade your stats.
A Few More Notes…
Dak Prescott got an 81 OVR rating: I won’t complain about this one. It sounds low, but looking at the QBs listed above him, it makes sense. Mayfield, who has an 83, might be the one guy I’d like to see below Dak. He has a lot of potential, but we’ve seen more from Prescott so far.
Jason Witten’s 83 rating seems high: #82 is the reason I fell in love with football, but I’ll question this rating. Witten is 37-years old and is coming back from retirement. He was slow when he stepped back, who knows how he’ll do now. But I love the idea of playing with him once more.
Michael Gallup is being slept on: I understand Gallup’s 78 OVR rating. I really do. He didn’t play that much on the first half of the season but improved on a weekly basis. I believe that his rating will change quickly with Gallup poised for a breakout year.
Antwaun Woods’ rating is way too low: Woods should have a higher rating than 73. Although he is a DT and his stats don’t jump out of the page, he proved to be a great one-tech for the Cowboys and made impact plays constantly when on the field. But hey, at least he’s not complaining.
https://twitter.com/AntwaunWoods_/status/1150855380861411329
Cowboys LB are strong: Leighton Vander Esch (86 OVR), Jaylon Smith (85 OVR) and Sean Lee (84 OVR) all got a strong, well-deserved rating. These guys will be fun to watch on the field on Sundays and on your gaming console on a daily basis.
Amari Cooper’s rating is spot on: Many have complained about Cooper having a 89 OVR, but I believe they nailed it. As much as we love Amari, he isn’t in the top tier of NFL wide receivers. Let Hopkins, Beckham, Brown, Jones be on the 90s. 89 feels just right for Amari.
At the end of the day, these ratings are all subject to change. And with so many ups and downs in an NFL season, you better believe they will change. In the meantime, we can only wait. The game we annually wait so much for is just around the corner!
