Fans who love to watch the defense will have no position filled with more excitement than the linebacker. These players are capable of leading the league in tackles, forced fumbles, interceptions, and sacks. When playing Madden NFL 23, they are certainly the most exciting.
But not every linebacker is made equally. Some are weak at coverage or rushing the passer. That can be a huge problem for gamers to exploit in Madden NFL 23. With these stars, players don't have to worry, they'll be doing what they do best, destroying offensive gameplans from start to finish.
Updated on February 24th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: The regular season, playoffs, and Super Bowl have concluded. With that all in the books, gamers will be bracing for a long off-season. Ratings adjusters have been working overtime, week-to-week, shifting players based on their performance in the previous weeks. Now, with the last performance in the books, players can pick up and drop players knowing what their stats will be. The ratings adjusters do, sometimes, inexplicably make small changes to player statistics during the offseason. However, this list will likely remain intact and the player statistics won't change substantially enough to merit a significant alteration.
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16 Bobby Wagner - MLB - 89 OVR
This list has many middle linebackers that didn't get the recognition they deserve. Bobby Wagner has been established as one of the league's best and it's easy to predict the rating of his being high. He's led the league in tackles, solo tackles, assisted tackles, safeties, and defensive touchdowns before, so there is nothing he can't do.
Wagner has been punished for being on a bad Rams team despite his excellent play, sinking in OVR, and missing his first Pro Bowl in eight years. Wagner set a new career high in sacks with 6, a remarkable feat for middle linebackers. If Los Angeles turns things around, voters need to remember how badly they misjudged Wagner in 2022.
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14 Haason Reddick - LOLB - 90 OVR
To say that Hasaan Reddick improved as the season went on would be an understatement. He started off not even on this list and ended up on a squad that almost got the NFL record for sacks in a season. He made his first Pro Bowl in his first season with the Eagles.
The defense had a tough time in the Super Bowl but that doesn't negate a season's worth of contributions from Reddick. He tied for second in total sacks with 16. Having as many sacks as Myles Garrett is not something that just anybody can do. If he stays this good, Philadelphia is geared up for another Super Bowl run next year.
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10 Demario Davis - MLB - 90 OVR
It's hard to epitomize how overlooked middle linebackers are quite like Demario Davis. Despite leading the league in solo tackles in 2017 and not missing a game since 2012, Demario Davis only got his first Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
Thankfully, the ratings adjusters see his true value. He has been one of the major reasons that the Saints, even without Drew Brees, had been competitive at all. New Orleans has tanked, but Davis has added an interesting facet to his game, picking off four passes from a tackle-first position.
9 Roquan Smith - MLB - 90 OVR
Gamers who are wanting the franchise mode to make improvements can't control the developers but they can pick up players. Roquan Smith was a hot commodity embattled with a Chicago front office that he refused to negotiate with after talks fell apart. The Ravens got him midway through 2022 and got a steal.
Smith made it to his first Pro Bowl in 2022, making a combined 169 tackles, good for third in the league. His 4.5 sacks as a middle linebacker also stand out. Baltimore has some contracts to worry about, but picking up Smith is a gamble that paid off in spades.
8 Lavonte David - MLB - 91 OVR
Despite being ranked so highly, Lavonte David is yet another middle linebacker who doesn't receive the accolades he deserves. His single Pro Bowl appearance from 2015 may make fans think he's past his prime or simply on the verge of greatness.
David, over a ten-year career, has never once gotten less than 87 combined tackles in a year. The Tampa Bay offense was terrible this year, relying on their defense to will them into the playoffs. Without David, the Bucs would have contended for the worst team in the league.
7 Joey Bosa - LOLB - 91 OVR
In seasons where Joey Bosa plays all of the games, he's never racked up less than 11.5 sacks. Unfortunately, that has only happened twice in his career. Despite injuries plaguing him, Bosa puts up huge numbers, even when he does miss games.
In fact, in six years, Bosa has made it to four Pro Bowls. When he plays for entire seasons, he contends for Defensive Player of the Year. Sadly, 2022 was Bosa's worst season yet as he was only able to participate in 5 games. The Chargers could be a Super Bowl team if all their best players stay in the starting lineup.
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4 T.J. Watt - LOLB - 94 OVR
Even those who don't follow football or gaming closely might have heard the outcry when T.J. Watt was given a mere 96 OVR to start the season. This is the reigning defensive player of the year who just tied the single-season sack record in 2021.
When the franchise debuts another 99 OVR player, it had better be Watt. Watt was on track for another incredible season but suffered an injury in the middle of the year and came back still a bit hobbled. Despite this, he made his fifth Pro Bowl, showing that even when missing games and playing while unhealthy, Watt is impressive to watch.
3 Maxx Crosby - LOLB - 92 OVR
When Chandler Jones came to Las Vegas, everybody was excited for him to take off. But while Jones landed with a thud, Maxx Crosby is still stuffing the stat box. Crosby didn't even begin the year on this list. Now, he's taken Jones' place and ended as the top-rated left outside linebacker in the game.
Crosby is about the only thing going right for the Raiders' defense, ending things with 12.5 sacks. Outlets are calling for him to move to defensive end due to his strength and ferocity. Here's hoping Crosby finds a way to share his passion with his squad next year.
2 Micah Parsons - ROLB - 96 OVR
It seems 13 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and a defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2021 weren't enough to land Micah Parsons on the top-ten list at the start of this season. That proved to be a mistake and the ratings adjusters have both recognized that and compensated for it in a big way.
Now, Parsons is the highest-rated outside linebacker in the game. He managed to surpass his rookie season, notching 13.5 sacks despite defenses running plays to the opposite side of the field. Dallas has a Super Bowl window open, with the young Parsons leading the charge defensively.
1 Fred Warner - MLB - 96 OVR
Those who compare last year's game to this year's will find that Fred Warner remains the top-rated middle linebacker. As a middle linebacker, his top priority is tackling and he's been all over it, racking up 130+ tackles in each of his last two seasons.
Warner has moved up to become the highest-rated linebacker in the game. He made the Pro Bowl this last season which is tough to do for his position, especially considering that teams are calling plays to the outside to avoid dealing with Warner's supremacy in the middle of the field.
Madden NFL 23 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.