It was recently announced that Myles Garrett was going to be joining the 99 club for the upcoming Madden 23 game and he deserves it, but it had me thinking, what other Cleveland Browns were rated this high?
A couple of things to keep in mind when going through this list. I am only using release ratings. I felt it was only fair to use the ratings that were used during the release of the game as players like Jamir Miller, Tre Johnson, and Courtney Brown didn’t get the benefit of the fancy online mid-season updates.
It is also important to note that even though the Madden game has been released every year since 1988, I only used the ratings from 1999 and sooner. There are a few reasons for this as the first is anything before that year is very hard to find, honestly, Madden 2000 ratings were almost impossible to find online, but the second reason is early game ratings were wild. Players didn’t have an overall, they just had a few traits and they only went up to 15. For reference, Bernie Kosar did not have an overall but did have an 11 in passing range and 12 in passing accuracy.
Also keep in mind that the Madden games are named for the year when the season is complete, so Madden 23 is actually for the 2022 season. The following are the 11 highest-rated Cleveland Browns in Madden video game history, I will only name each player once based on their highest rating, so Joe Thomas despite being rated high for his entire career will only be listed once:
Fun fact before we start, the Browns have never had a quarterback hit the 90 overall range since coming back.
10th (Tied)- Courtney Brown- 94 overall, Madden 2002
Every Cleveland Browns fan will remember Courtney Brown, who was the first overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. Most will remember Brown as a bust, but people forget that he was a freight train his rookie season, earning All-Rookie honors, so it would make sense that for the 2001 season that he would be rated so high.
Brown was also the lone Brown above 90 overall in Madden 2003 at 93, but he never reaches those heights of excellence in a Madden game again.
📽️ Courtney Brown was one of the most dominant DE's in Big Ten history who was 1999 consensus All-American, B1G DPOY, 2x 1st-tm All-B1G & the #1 overall pick in #NFLDraft The "Quiet Storm" finished his PSU career with 33 sacks & a ridiculous 70 (70!) career TFL's#WeAre #Legends pic.twitter.com/BXU2N7XPeI
— WeAreLegends (@WeArePSULegends) April 30, 2020
10th (Tied)- Shaun Rogers- 94 overall, Madden 2009
Shaun Rogers had some lasting power as he was rated over 90 overall all three seasons he was in Cleveland with 2009 being his finest. Rogers was 94 in 2009, 92 in 2010, and 93 in 2011. Rogers was a huge addition for Cleveland when they traded with the Detroit Lions for his rights and he did not disappoint, earning a Pro Bowl nod his first season for the Browns in 2008.
The best "big guy" touchdown in the history of the NFL is easily 6'4, 350 pound #Lions DT Shaun Rogers in the 4th quarter of the #Broncos Week 9 game in 2007.
A 66-yard pick-six -it had everything, the run, the stiff arm, the dive.
Rodgers also had 2.5 sacks in that game. pic.twitter.com/5iS2C8llEe
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 9, 2020
6th (Tied)- LeCharles Bentley- 95 overall, Madden 2007
LeCharles Bentley was the prize free agent of 2006 and Bentley signed with the Cleveland Browns after dominating with the New Orleans Saints, where he was an All-Rookie and two-time Pro Bowler. His time in Cleveland was de-railed by injuries to the point that he never took a snap. Bentley tore his patellar tendon and this resulted in a serious infection that halted his entire career.
Virtual LeCharles Bentley on the other hand was a revelation for the Browns. Bentley was rated 95 overall in Madden 2007 and 90 overall in Madden 2008.
6th (Tied)- Braylon Edwards- 95 overall, Madden 2009
Braylon Edwards was expected to be a star after the Cleveland Browns selected him with the third overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and in 2007 he displayed exactly why he was selected that high as he was an All-Pro that season. The team at Madden apparently thought the fun would continue as they gave Edwards a 95 overall rating for the next season. Edwards wouldn’t crack 90 overall for the remainder of his career.
Here is Mel Kiper Jr. breaking down the selection of Braylon Edwards by the #Browns in 2005: pic.twitter.com/7eMHXr3dHp
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 25, 2021
6th (Tied)- Eric Steinbach- 95 overall, Madden 2009
The Cleveland Browns signed Eric Steinbach in free agency before the 2007 season after he dominated with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns made Steinbach the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history and he proved to be worth every penny. Steinbach was a consistent beast in Madden as well sporting ratings of 94 overall in Madden 2008, 95 overall in Madden 2009, 93 overall in Madden 2010, 91 overall in Madden 2011.
6th (Tied)- Joe Haden- 95 overall, Madden 2015
The Cleveland Browns selected Joe Haden seventh overall in the 2010 NFL Draft and he had a glorious career while in Cleveland earning All-Rookie honors, All-Pro honors once, and Pro Bowl honors three times. Haden was equally phenomenal in Madden with ratings of 92 overall in Madden 2013, 91 overall in Madden 2014, 95 overall in Madden 2015, and 90 overall in Madden 2016.
Joe Haden read RGIII like a book 📚
pic.twitter.com/krZXucyE4p— PFF (@PFF) December 2, 2020
5th (Tied)- Odell Beckham Jr.- 96 overall, Madden 2020
College @obj wasn't fair 😤 @lsufootball
(via @cbssports) pic.twitter.com/bK4KIs0sf3
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) July 25, 2022
5th (Tied)- Nick Chubb- 96 overall, Madden 2022 & Madden 2023
The Clevland Browns drafted Nick Chubb in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and he has been a Pro Bowler three times and named All-Pro once. Chubb is on pace to be a Browns legend and his Madden ratings reflect that with a 92 overall in Madden 2021 and 96 overall in both Madden 2022 and Madden 2023.
Lots of love for a Nick Chubb run. #Browns pic.twitter.com/SQwHmmGXzh
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 3, 2022
3rd- Kellen Winslow II- 97 overall, Madden 2009
Kellen Winslow II was selected sixth overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2004 NFL Draft and just like Braylon Edwards had a phenomenal 2007 season that the creators of Madden thought would parlay into the next season as evidenced by the 97 overall rating in Madden 2009. Winslow was also rated high in Madden 2008 at 94 overall.
2nd- Joe Thomas- 98 overall, Madden 2015
I don’t need to say too much about the legendary Joe Thomas. Everyone should be familiar with Thomas, but for those that need a refresher, Thomas was selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2007 and had a Hall of Fame career that included All-Rookie honors, ten Pro Bowl invitations, and eight All-Pro teams.
Thomas was a spectacular Madden player as well with a 97 overall in Madden 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 95 overall in Madden 2012, 2016, 98 overall in Madden 2015, and 92 overall in Madden 2018.
Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) – Cleveland #Browns
"The shoo-in of all shoo-ins, Joe Thomas was the best offensive tackle of his generation and one of the best OTs in NFL history."
More predictions here ⤵️https://t.co/6aU1780euZpic.twitter.com/qhz50AFB4S
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 4, 2022
1st- Myles Garrett- 99 overall, Madden 2023
Here he is! Myles Garrett is officially the highest-rated Cleveland Brown in Madden history and rightfully so. The Browns selected Garrett number one overall in 2017 and has had a Hall of Fame career as well with All-Rookie honors along with being named to the Pro Bowl and being named an All-Pro three times.
Garrett has been devastating in Madden since Madden 2020 when he was a 91 overall and each year he has risen. In Madden 2021, Garrett was 93 overall, Madden 2022 Garrett was 98 overall and of course this year in Madden 2023, Garrett joins the 99 club.
Myles Garrett hitting the sled during #Browns training camp. pic.twitter.com/OFAfxeiX8C
— Shawn Dunagan (@shawndunagan) July 29, 2022
