Madden NFL 26 has been slowly releasing player ratings for its upcoming video games. After releasing all rookie rankings on Wednesday, Madden dropped its top 10 positional rankings on Thursday, including edge rusher... and Pittsburgh Steelers fans won't be pleased.
Madden kicked off their player rating reveal by sharing the seven players who earned a spot on this year's '99 Club'—those with the highest rating on the game. Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett was the only edge rusher who made the list. When the top 10 EDGE rankings were released on Thursday, we got our first look at where T.J. Watt fell in line.
Watt earned a 96 overall grade ahead of the release of Madden NFL 26. This trails Garrett (99) and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons (98), while his 96 rating ties Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby. Watt's grade narrowly tops Nick Bosa's (95), while he still ranks comfortably ahead of Aidan Hutchinson (93) and fellow AFC North edge rusher and reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson (92).
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be satisfied with T.J. Watt's Madden NFL 26 rating
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are going to get themselves bent out of shape knowing that Myles Garrett joined the '99 Club' again, and while Watt is simply tied for third with Maxx Crosby, fans should be more than satisfied with his ranking.
There are some things we could critique to death (like Garrett's 96 strength rating compared to 86 strength for Watt), but we can live with these results. Though Watt looked spectacular early in the 2024 season, he went quiet down the stretch. In turn, his performance pulverized his chances of earning his second Defensive Player of the Year award.
Collectively, Watt had one of his most underwhelming campaigns since his rookie season, and he finished the year with just 11.5 sacks. Now, like every other offseason edge rusher ranking, he can use this Madden snub as added fuel to the fire.
Watt turns 31 years old in October, but he just earned a massive three-year, $123 million contract extension, and he will be out to prove doubters wrong in 2025. The superstar should find himself in the DPOY race yet again, and this award may not be out of reach just yet.
Sadly, T.J. Watt will probably never be part of Madden's '99 Club,' but a 30-year-old edge rusher with a 96 overall rating is nothing to scoff at. This won't sit well with Pittsburgh Steelers fans, but ratings update each week during the season, and perhaps Watt can do enough to sway Madden's staff to give him a higher rating.