Kansas City Chiefs defenders have underwhelming ratings in Madden ’23

The next installment of EA sports’ football franchise Madden 23 is quickly approaching. Where will Kansas City Chiefs defenders rate in the game?

EA Sports’ Madden 23 is set to release before the NFL’s regular season, on Aug. 19. The game’s developers have slowly been releasing player ratings by position group. On Tuesday, the linebacker and edge defenders ratings were released. At two position groups lacking elite players, the Madden ratings were very underwhelming for the Kansas City Chiefs.

First, second-year player Nick Bolton leads the Chiefs linebackers with a 79 rating. The player ratings behind him are quite low and clustered. Free-agency acquisition Jermaine Carter Jr.’s 71 rating is second-best for Chiefs linebackers. Willie Gay Jr. (69), rookie Leo Chenal (69), Shilique Calhoun (67), Darius Harris (65), Elijah Lee (64), and rookie Mike Rose (63) round out the release-day linebacking roster for Kansas City.

While Gay’s rating seems criminally low, Chenal is the real prize for Madden enthusiasts. He has elite-level athletic ratings, like 88 speed and 86 strength. His linebacker-specific ratings are not great, but solid enough for players to build off of. While Carter had a solid 2021 season with the Carolina Panthers, his rating above Gay and Chenal is somewhat surprising.

Next, the edge defender options are bleak for the Chiefs in reality. The Madden options reflect that reality, unfortunately. Frank Clark leads Kansas City’s defensive ends with a 78 rating, a two-point drop from his Madden 22 rating. Kansas City’s highest-rated rookie, so far, is George Karlaftis at 74 overall, followed by Mike Danna (69), Josh Kaindoh (62), and Austin Edwards (62).

Kaindoh’s low rating is surprising but somewhat realistic. He is an unproven commodity at the position, despite having a good athletic profile. He could take significant steps forward in 2022, and the upcoming training camp is a good start.

The Chief’s lack of punch on the edge will limit them in real life and on the Madden gridiron. The Chiefs could make moves to improve the position before the regular season. Chiefs fans and Madden players should hope they do.