The LA Chargers kickstarted the offseason with a bang this year by trading a second and sixth-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears for All-Pro edge rusher, Khalil Mack. Not being in a place to contend, it made more sense for Chicago to get out of Mack's contract and get draft capital in return.
For the Chargers, they filled one of their biggest holes from last season and gave Joey Bosa a quality edge-rushing partner. While Mack is no longer in his prime, it is undeniable that the Chargers have one of the best edge-rushing duos in the NFL.
Because Mack has played on an irrelevant Chicago team and only played six games last season, there are NFL pundits who are disrespecting his ability and overlooking him this upcoming season. While some pundits might be doing that, the folks over at Madden 23 definitely aren't.
The player ratings for Madden 23 are starting to get rolled out and on Tuesday the ratings for the edge rushers were released. Chargers fans must have been thrilled to see two Bolts in the top 10 but may have been shocked about which edge-rusher ranked higher on the team.
A 91 rating for Joey Bosa is fair but a 92 rating for Khalil Mack? As much as we love Mack and think he will be a fantastic addition to the team, that does seem a bit high considering Mack is past his prime.
Joey Bosa should be the Chargers' highest-rated edge rusher on Madden 23, not Khalil Mack.
It is pretty undeniable at this point in their careers that Joey Bosa is a better edge rusher than Khalil Mack and that he is the best edge-rusher on the team. They are only one rating apart but it is clear that Mack is getting a bit of a legacy boost when it comes to his rating.
That is common in Madden and the top-10 rated edge rushers in terms of rating is not a fair reflection of the top-10 edge rushers in the league. While Mack is still a top-10 edge rusher in the league, he belongs in the 8-10 range more so than fifth.
Chandler Jones is another example of a player getting a higher rating than they should because of their status in the league. Jones had a monster Week 1 last season and then posted Uchenna Nwosu-level numbers the rest of the season. That isn't bad, but you don't see Uchenna Nwosu on this list.
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At the end of the day, the hope is that Mack can play like a 92-rated edge rusher this season for the Bolts because if he does, opposing offenses are going to be in a lot of trouble.