Highlights
- Elite cornerbacks in Madden NFL 24 are incredibly valuable as they can prevent wide receivers from getting open for several seconds.
- Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns is a standout cornerback known for his ability to read routes and limit opposing pass catchers.
- Jalen Ramsey, despite a challenging season for the Rams, had a standout year and continues to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
There is a great deal of truth in the saying that there is no defense for the perfect pass. If quarterbacks get long enough, wide receivers will eventually shake loose from their coverage and find a gap. But this makes the great cornerbacks in Madden NFL 24 more valuable, not less.
While a wide receiver might inevitably get open, an elite corner can stop this from happening for several seconds. In today's NFL, quarterbacks don't have this long to through before getting knocked around. Coverage sacks in Madden NFL 24 as huge, as are the picks that the best corners get when the quarterback mistakenly decides to challenge these athletes.
10 Denzel Ward - 88 OVR
Denzel Ward set a career-high in tackles and interceptions last season and hopes to get back to a third Pro Bowl. His snub last year was more to do with the Browns' record than him since he did everything he could. Cleveland gets recognition for having one of the best running backs but their defense deserves serious consideration as well.
Tasked with defending some of the best pass catchers in the game, Ward is great at reading routes and cutting off passing lanes. If the team plays to its potential, Ward will do his part to give this team a deep playoff run.
9 Tre'Davious White - 90 OVR
Buffalo is currently famous for having two of the best safeties in the league. But their focus on the secondary doesn't end there. The Bills have Tre'Davious White to limit superstar receivers and he thrives in the role.
Unfortunately, the last two years for White have been cut short for the two-time Pro Bowler. If he plays a full season in Buffalo, not only is he likely to notch a third Pro Bowl but this entire team will be going places. They almost went all the way last year with so much of their top talent out.
8 Marshon Lattimore - 90 OVR
The Saints have elite players at various spots,m including one of the best linebackers in football today, but former Defensive Player of the Year Marshon Lattimore deserves recognition for holding down a defense that is frequently tested while the offense is floundering.
Lattimore missed almost all of last season with an injury and New Orleans missed him terribly. With this four-time Pro Bowler back and a proven quarterback finally on the squad, this is a team that could be far better than expected.
7 Stephon Gilmore - 91 OVR
Despite continuing to play at a high level, the Cowboys will be the fourth different team Gilmore has played on in 4 years. When teams are playing hot potato with the former Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion is something analysts continue to speculate on.
It's not like his play is dropping off with age. Gilmore started 16 games last season and set a career-high in tackles. Opponents usually don't throw his way but he remains a threat in every aspect of the defense.
6 Darius Slay Jr. - 92 OVR
In the past six seasons, Darius Slay Jr. has been to the Pro Bowl five times. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl last year behind his elite ability to lock down receivers. After leading the league in interceptions in 2017, passers learned it's best to just avoid Slay on the field.
Against the best wide receivers, Slay experiences no decrease in ability. He's a ballhawk and gets in on team tackles. If he stays playing at this current level, Philadelphia is going to have another shot at the championship.
5 Sauce Gardner - 93 OVR
The rookie season for Sauce Gardner could not have gone over better. En route to his first Pro Bowl, Gardner also won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Quarterbacks kept challenging him and he kept winning, batting down a league-leading 20 passes.
That's not just for rookies, that's for all defensive players. The Jets were supposed to be in the middle of a rebuild but with Gardner's progress to elite status, the team acquired one of the best quarterbacks around and has shifted to win-now mode.
4 Marlon Humphrey - 93 OVR
The Ravens always seem to have health concerns but the injury bug missed Marlon Humphrey last year much to the disappointment of the wide receivers who lined up against him. He tied his career-high for interceptions and set a new mark in sacks.
Baltimore fans who are sick of seeing their seasons get derailed by injuries had to be stoked when Madden NFL 24 was announced. Players in the game can be healthy and Humphrey will be as dominant in the game as any fan could hope for.
3 Patrick Surtain II - 94 OVR
The Broncos would have loved to skip the 2022 season just the way Madden may need to skip a year at some point. But as disastrous as the year was for the offense, the defense was as good as could be believed, even with the offense constantly putting them in bad situations.
This can be chalked to up the dominance of Patrick Surtain II at cornerback. The young man is already one of the most disliked defenders for quarterbacks to throw against since he goes for picks in addition to batting down balls.
2 Jaire Alexander - 95 OVR
When guessing who might be on the cover of Madden, Jaire Alexander was likely not at the top of the minds of gamers. He's always been regarded as pretty good. But last year, he was truly great, picking up a career-high of five picks for the Green Bay secondary.
The Packers had a disappointing season on offense but the defense was better than predicted. Alexander made the Pro Bowl last year and could continue to rise up this list if he manages to keep progressing the way he has already to this stage of his career.
1 Jalen Ramsey - 97 OVR
The Rams had an awful year after their Super Bowl year but Jalen Ramsey still picked up his sixth straight Pro Bowl selection. Despite the way the season went in Los Angeles, Ramsey posted arguably his best year, notching career highs in forced fumbles, interceptions, tackles, sacks, and tackles.
Even without the banner year, gamers that predict where the top-ranked players would be rated might have given Ramsey the 99 OVR. If any cornerback deserves it, it's him. Unfortunately, the off-year for his team seems to have gotten into the heads of the ratings adjusters.
Madden NFL 24 will be released on August 18th, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.