'This makes no sense' Titans rookie response to questionable Madden 26 player rating that has Cam Ward in surprising spot
Cam Ward is behind WHO?
Madden 26 is set to drop on August 14, and the marketing campaign is in full swing. They've dropped trailers, revealed Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle as this year's cover, had Madden influencers out to HQ to test the game, and more to build hype. And today, rookie player ratings hit the internet for the first time.
Now, full disclosure, I don't really give a hoot about this kind of thing. Madden is fun, I have played it many times in my life. How it relates to actual football matters very, very little to me. But I know that these kinds of things matter to a ton of you all, and who am I to yuck somebody else's yum? So let's take a look at where the newest Tennessee Titans came in on their first inclusion in the Madden universe:
A number of minor things stand out here. Both of the Titans Day 2 selections on defense come in at the lowest of the bunch, which I think is actually a pretty accurate reflection of the long-term investment each of them is. I wrote more about why that is, linked right here if you're interested. Then you have WR Elic Ayomanor ahead of WR Chimere Dike, despite being drafted later than him. If you're upset about that one, you've come to the wrong place. I actually think Dike might really surprise us this year, but I've been an Ayomanor evangelist since the draft process. And 6th Round RB Kalel Mullings is sandwiched between those two at 70 overall, which is curiously high.
Speaking of curiously high, Jackson Slater! Woah! What? Why?!
Listen: I'm big on Jackson Slater's prospects of becoming a starter one day. I wrote about his path and timeline to breaking into the lineup and proving himself a 5th Round steal in the article linked right here. But for some reason, the Madden ratings team is higher on Slater than perhaps even his own mother.
When I saw Slater 4 points clear of Cam Ward, the 1st overall pick QB, I couldn't believe it. And not in an "I'm shocked" way… I mean I literally did not believe it was real. Neither did most of you reading it, I'd imagine. And when I messaged Jackson himself about how he needs to give Cam a hard time for having a better rating than him, well, he told me I had to be wrong too.
When he saw it was real, he took to X to react like the rest of us:
The Slater rating is wild. I have no explanation for it. Maybe it really is a mistake that will be patched by August. Either way, it's pretty funny to see him above Cam.
And maybe your qualm is with Cam only being a 71 overall. After all, Travis Hunter is an 84. Ashton Jeanty and Abdul Carter are both 81's. If that's something you want to get riled up about, you do you. 71 feels about right to me. As my friend JT Ruhnke pointed out, Heisman Trophy winner and 1st overall pick QB Kyler Murray started at 73 overall his rookie year. I think that's just the way this goes with quarterbacks.
Titans Rookie First Start Timeline: Day 3 pick to join Cam Ward as only projected Week 1 starter, patience with Day 2 picks
When will the 2025 draft class get their first starts?
