Generally speaking, an offensive lineman and defensive lineman of the same caliber will result in a net tie that goes to the offense. In their careers, Hall of Famers on the O-Line have single-digit sack and tackles-for-loss totals against them. But that's not to say that a D-Lineman in Madden NFL 23 isn't as valuable.
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These elite talents often draw extra blockers, which free up other members of the defense to do some damage. They may not be stuffing the stat sheet like their teammates, but hardcore Madden NFL 23 gamers are well aware that these are the guys doing the work regardless of who is getting the credit.
Updated on February 24th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: The regular season, playoffs, and Super Bowl have concluded. With that all in the books, gamers will be bracing for a long off-season. Ratings adjusters have been working overtime, week-to-week, shifting players based on their performance in the previous weeks. Now, with the last performance in the books, players can pick up and drop players knowing what their stats will be. The ratings adjusters do, sometimes, inexplicably make small changes to player statistics during the offseason. However, this list will likely remain intact and the player statistics won't change substantially enough to merit a significant alteration.
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10 DeMarcus Lawrence - LE - 90 OVR
DeMarcus Lawrence is not only the highest-rated left defensive end, he's currently the only left defensive end on this list. To say he's made a comeback is putting it mildly. Lawrence last saw a Pro Bowl in 2018 and broke his foot last year, both signs of a career winding down.
But Lawrence has been unreal in both sack and tackle departments, showing teammates how business gets done on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas is in a Super Bowl window right now and having the best player in the league at this position is certainly no small part of that reason.
9 Jonathan Allen - DT - 92 OVR
The Washington Commanders have had a rough couple of years. Between the injuries and stars failing to live up to expectations, very little worked out in their favor. Jonathan Allen has been a colossal exception to the bad luck.
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Allen has now made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two years. Few will doubt that the strongest unit for the Commanders is the defensive line and nobody debates that Allen spearheads the charge. This has put the franchise on his back and his fans will have to hope he gets some relief soon.
8 Quinnen Williams - DT - 93 OVR
It can be challenging to predict who the top-rated players will be. Quinnen Williams was considered a good-but-not-great defensive tackle for the Jets. At one point, he was as low as 85 OVR this year. Not at all bad, but nothing noteworthy.
Williams ended the season with twelve sacks and gave the Jets' defense some swagger. The Jets are notably transitioning from rebuild to win-now mode and it's in large part due to the dominance of Williams that makes management feel that waiting for later would be a mistake.
7 Cameron Heyward - RE - 93 OVR
While it's fair to recognize that T.J. Watt is one of the best players in football, it should not be ignored how much Cameron Heyward contributes to his success. Heyward requires multiple blockers, freeing his teammate up to do some serious damage. With Watt out for the year, Heyward stayed consistent, establishing his reputation.
Since 2017, Heyward has made every single Pro Bowl and is a Steelers icon. When comparing the current game to the one last year, few players have the consistency that Heyward does. He acts as a modern iteration of the Steel Curtain.
6 Von Miller - RE - 94 OVR
When players get Super Bowl titles with different teams, they're usually more than just a role player. Von Miller proved that he can still be among the best after his Super Bowl MVP performance with the Broncos. The Rams were grateful for his pressure.
The Bills picked Miller up, ready to take the next step. When Miller was on the field, he was disruptive and made the defense better. Unfortunately, after a season-ending injury, the Bills turned into a team that once again had to win shootouts. Buffalo will hope for a healthy Miller next year, it may be the only thing they need to win a Super Bowl.
5 Dexter Lawrence II - DT - 94 OVR
Dexter Lawrence II has been an unbelievable story of the year for the Giants. At the beginning of the year, Lawrence was sitting at a 79 OVR, ranked as a subpar defensive tackle. At midseason, he was ranked tenth among defensive linemen. Now, he's the second-best-ranked defensive tackle in the game.
The Giants have taken a big step forward this year. Offensively, they're a bit better but it's their defense that has been so surprising. This must be because Lawrence has taken his game up several notches this season, becoming one of the most aggravating players to block in the league.
4 Chris Jones - DT - 96 OVR
While everyone is getting distracted by Patrick Mahomes and the offensive stars for the Kansas City Chiefs, the defensive side of the ball has had to work miracles to keep the group in perennial championship contention. That group is spearheaded by Chris Jones.
As a disruptive defensive tackle, Jones has made the last four Pro Bowls, directly coinciding with the Chiefs' return to dominance. The talk going into the 2022 postseason is about how Jones has underperformed in the playoffs. He put together a dominant stretch of games and put all that chatter to bed as he capped off a Super Bowl victory.
3 Nick Bosa - RE - 97 OVR
If player OVR was more based on recent production, Nick Bosa may actually lead this list. His Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl nod in 2019 were only a taste of things to come. In the 2021 season, Bosa got a second nod for the Pro Bowl and shattered his career highs.
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In 2022 he led the entire league, not just defensive linemen, in sacks, an honor that usually goes to outside linebackers. Want to shake things up in franchise mode and free agency? Find a way to get Bosa signed on the team. He started the year at an impressive 94 OVR and yet has still found a way to increase his value.
2 Myles Garrett - RE - 99 OVR
Coming onto the scene hot, Myles Garrett started off making the Pro Bowl and has only gotten better. In 2021 he got a whopping 16 sacks. He did the same in 2022 and tacked on even more tackles and passes defended. the Browns were disappointing, but Garrett is great and getting better.
If players are permitted to progress midseason, Garrett could see his stock rise even further. Though his OVR can't get any higher as the ratings adjusters saw fit to give him a perfect 99 at the start of the season and he has not budged since.
1 Aaron Donald - RE - 99 OVR
If it was possible to be a 100 OVR player, Aaron Donald might just be that player. Since he was drafted in 2014, Donald has been to every single Pro Bowl and won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times. When he was revealed to be a perfect 99 OVR again, no one was shocked.
The only thing missing from his resume was a Super Bowl title, but he fixed that error last year. This last season his stats weren't as impressive and he missed a big chunk of games, but Donald is still making Pro Bowls and may end his career as the best right defensive end of all time.
Madden NFL 23 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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