Predicting the highest-rated Browns players in Madden 24
By Randy Gurzi
It's almost Madden season. EA Sports has announced Madden Ratings Week will kick off on July 17 as ESPN will host the event unveiling player ratings for Madden 24. For the Cleveland Browns, it will be a lot of fun to see where the new additions stand and how much returning stars improve.
Here, we look at both the offense and defense while trying to predict the top three players on either side of the ball.
Top 3 Browns players on defense
Cleveland made a lot of moves this year to rebuild their defense. Even so, only one of the top three players is a new addition as two returning stars claim the top two spots.
Za'Darius Smith, EDGE: Predicted rating 88
Last year, Za'Darius Smith was an 86 for the Minnesota Vikings as an outside linebacker. This year, he moves to defensive end for the Browns. Anyone who plays the game knows that when a player moves positions, it oftentimes has quite an impact on their rating.
Smith is a powerful pass-rusher who will likely benefit from moving to the line where his coverage rating won't matter as much as it does for a linebacker. That's why the prediction here sees his score jump up a couple of spots.
Denzel Ward, CB: Predicted rating 91
Last year, Denzel Ward was one of the highest-rated Cleveland defenders at 92 overall. He struggled for much of the season which was partially due to injuries. He also had problems playing in zone coverage and should be better under Jim Schwartz.
Even with that being the case, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him take a small hit in the ratings due to the overall drop in play. In this prediction, it's just one point and he remains the second-highest-rated defender on the roster.
Myles Garrett, EDGE: Predicted rating 99
The top-rated player on Cleveland's roster in Madden 24 should be the same as it was in the previous edition of the game. Myles Garrett had a 99 last year and should have it again in 24. That's the highest score possible and he remains one of the best players in the entire league.