Cardinals Flat-Out Disrespected by Madden Ratings

The Arizona Cardinals' top players were nowhere to be seen in their respective position groups.

Dec 3, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes the ball to tight end Trey McBride (85) against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals don't get much national respect, which is understandable after a 3-14 season.

The coaching staff is still relatively new. We haven't seen Kyler Murray healthy for a full season with the new regime, and the defense still carries question marks at key spots along the defensive line and corner.

Still, the Cardinals own a good bit of talent moving into 2024 - even if the new Madden game doesn't agree.

Ahead of its release later in August, EA Sports has been teasing the top ten overall ratings for players in the league.

Neither Murray or Trey McBride were in the respective top tens at their position:

Top 10 TEs in @EAMaddenNFL: pic.twitter.com/l2vfcXVQAY

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 1, 2024

Who's leading your team? 🤔

The BEST QBs in Madden 25 💪

(via @EAMaddenNFL) pic.twitter.com/4tqaOpby42

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 2, 2024

You could make an argument for Murray not being in the top ten, and those would be soundly heard - especially with him only having played eight games coming off injury last season.

Still - we've seen how talented Murray is when there's actual weapons around him - and the Cardinals feel as if they did a solid job doing just that moving into the offseason with fresh names such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Zay Jones and Trey Benson to help keep pushing the ball down the field.

As for McBride, it's extremely tough to justify.

Last season, McBride finished top ten in the following categories for tight ends:

Receptions: T-5 with 81
Targets: 6th with 106
Yards: 7th with 825

All of that with McBride being a backup for the first half of the season.

Whether it's physically or electronically, the Cardinals still somehow get overlooked - which is fair on a team level, though for standout talents such as Murray and McBride, it's simply wild.