What is Texans' C.J. Stroud's Opening 'Madden' Rating?
Ahead of next month's release of "Madden NFL 24," EA Sports unveiled their ratings for the latest installment of the most popular football video game this week. Houston Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud will open up his rookie season with a 73 rating.
While that number may not jump off the page, 73 is a pretty strong rating for a rookie quarterback. It's slightly behind the 74 rating that Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft -- will start with. Despite his incredible athletic gifts, No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts will open with a 70 rating.
Overall, Stroud's 73 rating is tied for 25th among all quarterbacks. Two promising second-year quarterbacks -- Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers and Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- were also given 73 ratings.
For what it's worth, Stroud is the third-highest rated quarterback in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars was given an 82 rating, while Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans was slotted at 76.
Of course, this isn't like how Madden used to be where you bought the game in August and were stuck with those initial ratings for the entirety of the year. EA Sports now updates ratings weekly, so if Stroud shines in his rookie season, his rating will very likely increase as the campaign goes on.
The two other quarterbacks on the depth chart in Houston, Davis Mills and Case Keenum, received underwhelming rankings. Mills was given a 67, while Keenum is at 64. Former Texans' quarterback Deshaun Watson -- preparing for his first full season with the Cleveland Browns -- was only rated as a 78. Unsurprisingly, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is the top-rated quarterback at 99, followed by Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals (95) and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (94).
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