Training camp has already turned into a contract standoff for two of the league’s biggest backfield stars, and now Jahmyr Gibbs has a fresh talking point on his side.
EA Sports unveiled the top-rated running backs in Madden NFL 27, and Gibbs came out on top. The Detroit Lions back landed at 98 overall, just one point short of the 99 Club. Behind him are San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey at 97, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor at 96, and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson at 95.
That gives Gibbs another piece of ammo as he and Robinson continue to wait on new deals. Both players were nonparticipants on the first day of their respective training camps, with each team’s star back appearing to hold in while contract talks play out.
The Lions, of course, aren’t making roster decisions off a video game rating. But Gibbs’ placement fits the growing pile of evidence that he’s being viewed as the league’s top running back.
Detroit clearly thinks that way too, which is why the team traded David Montgomery and handed Gibbs the “bell-cow” role. Atlanta, though, seems just as convinced Robinson belongs at the top of the market.
That’s what makes this a stalemate, and why the hold-ins could stretch deeper into camp if neither side gives ground.
EA Sports also revealed top-ten ratings at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end, and the Lions showed up in all three groups.
Jared Goff checked in at No. 10 among quarterbacks with an 88 overall rating. That’s an improvement from the 87 he carried into Madden NFL 26, but it also drops him four spots in the quarterback rankings.
One of the passers who jumped ahead of him was Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who landed at 90. Williams is the cover athlete for this year’s game, and while that may have helped his number a bit, it also puts him in the odd position of being the top quarterback in the NFC North.
At wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown came in fourth with a 95 overall rating. That’s one point and one spot lower than last year, when he ranked third with a 96.
Sam LaPorta also moved up. Despite an injury-shortened season, the Lions tight end climbed from No. 9 to No. 7 in the Madden rankings and saw his overall rating rise from 86 to 88.
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Lions Risk Letting Top Edge Help Slip Away Again
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