The “just right” Madden 21 ratings on the LA Chargers:
Just to be clear, you could absolutely make the case that these players could be slightly higher than they are actually rated. And by slightly, we mean one or two rating points. For the most part, these players are rated properly compared to their counterparts.
Joey Bosa — 91 overall
Joey Bosa is the joint-highest-rated player on the LA Chargers in 2020 and it is right where he should be. Not only does he deserve to be the highest-rated, but his rating compared to other defensive ends in the league is fair.
Bosa is the sixth-highest defensive end behind Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt, Cameron Jordan, Calais Campbell and Myles Garrett. Garrett is a 93, and you can argue that Bosa should then be a 92 or 93, but 91 is realistically fine and leaves Bosa with a lot of room to grow (which we think he will).
Keenan Allen — 91 overall
Keenan Allen is the other 91-rated player on the LA Chargers and once again, it is a fair rating. Allen is the ninth-highest rated wide receiver in the game, and while he ranked among the league’s best in receptions and yards last season, his overall status in the league with his lower touchdown numbers makes ninth a fair spot for him to be.
Just look at the guys ahead of him: Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Tyreek Hill, Devante Adams, Amari Cooper, Mike Evans and Stefon Diggs. Personally, I woudl argue that he should be right behind Adams and before Cooper, Evans and Diggs, but a 91 rating is not criminal.
Derwin James — 89 overall
Derwin James is the seventh-higest-rated safety in the game at 89 overall. While that might seem low, it absolutely is a fair place to put him after missing 11 games last season. He is one overall lower than Justin Simmons and three lower than Jamal Adams.
If Derwin was healthy he would be much higher on this list and would be around Harrison Smith’s 95 rating. However, the injury does matter and that is why he is lower, fairly.
Justin Herbert — 70 overall
We already broke down Justin Herbert’s overall and it is an absolute robbery that Jordan Love is a higher-rated quarterback than Herbert. However, as a rookie that probably won’t play in 2020, a 70 overall is the right rating.