Madden 19: Arizona Cardinals Player Ratings, Roster, Depth Chart & Playbooks

By Toby DurantHead of Content

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest continually run football team in America, originally starting in Chicago and eventually coming to Arizona in 1988. For all that history though, their last championship came in 1947. Since then they have made the Super Bowl just once, in 2008 when they lost in the last minute to Pittsburgh. The last great Cardinals team was in 2015 under Bruce Arians when they made it to the NFC championship game, but since then they have been going backwards. In 2018 they have a new rookie quarterback to lead the team, can you finally deliver a championship to the Cardinals?

*All stats correct at time of writing

Team Rating

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The Arizona Cardinals have a very poor 73 overall rating in Madden 19. This is tied for worst in the game with the New York giants. However, it isn't all terrible for the Cardinals. The defense is the star of the show, picking up a 79 rating which puts it above four other teams and tied with three. Offensively the Cardinals are one of the worst in Madden 19 with a rating of 73, but they do have some talent and a young quarterback to build around.

Patrick Peterson, Cornerback (OVR 92)

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Age: 28

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 3 years/$37.9 million

2018 Cap Hit: $10.9 million

Best Stats: Jumping (97), Agility (95), Speed (93), Press (93), Man Coverage (92), Acceleration (92), Zone Coverage (91), Play Recognition (89)

The Cardinals took Patrick Peterson with the fifth-overall pick in 2011 and they were rewarded with one of the best cornerbacks of his generation. Peterson picked off 9 passes in his first two seasons before quarterbacks began to throw away from him with regularity. Peterson has been a terrific man-to-man cover corner, but also an excellent return man. He scored 4 punt return touchdowns as a rookie, but the Cardinals quickly removed him from that role as his importance to the defense increased.

David Johnson, Running Back (OVR 87)

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Age: 26

Development Trait: Superstar

Contract: 4 years/$27 million

2018 Cap Hit: $6.66 million

Best Stats: Agility (93), Speed (92), Juke Move (92), Acceleration (91), Vision (89), Carrying (86), Stiff Arm (86), Break Tackle (86)

David Johnson came into the NFL as a third-round pick for the Cardinals in 2015. He saw little action early on as a rookie, but injuries to others gave him a chance to take over the role and he was an immediate hit. In 2016 he became the starter and was one of the most productive players in the NFL. He racked up over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and a total of 20 touchdowns on his way to a spot on the First Team All-Pro. Injury sidelined Johnson for all but half a game in 2017, but he returns in 2018 as one of the most complete running backs in football, capable of dominating both on the ground and as a receiver.

Chandler Jones, Defensive End (OVR 84)

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Age: 28 touch

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 4 years/$55.2 million

2018 Cap Hit: $12.3 million

Best Stats: Acceleration (86), Play Recognition (85), Tackle (85), Pursuit (85), Power Moves (84), Strength (83)

Chandler Jones was a first-round pick for the New England Patriots in 2012. He quickly became one of the most consistent edge defenders in the NFL. In his second season he racked up 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He was a big part of the Patriots run to Super Bowl XLIX but toward the end of his rookie contract he was traded to Arizona. Since getting to Phoenix Jones has become an even better pass rusher. In two years with the Cardinals he has 28 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, and 54 QB hits.

Josh Rosen, Quarterback (OVR 74)

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Age: 21

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 4 years/$17.56 million

2018 Cap Hit: $4.25 million

Best Stats: Throw Power (93), Short Accuracy (85), Acceleration (84), Throw Under Pressure (82), Play Action (82), Medium Accuracy (79)

The Cardinals took Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Rosen was a three-year starter at UCLA and left with 9,340 yards, 59 touchdowns and a 60.9 completion percentage. Those numbers are far from amazing, but Rosen's mobility, arm talent, and ability to read defenses impressed scouts. Rosen is a nice quarterback to build around in Madden 19 and will provide enough offense to begin with.

Full Roster & Depth Chart

QB
OVR
Speed
Throw Power
Short Accuracy
Medium Accuracy
Deep Accuracy
Throw Under Pressure
Play Action
Josh Rosen
74
75
93
85
79
78
82
82
Mike Glennon
70
69
92
82
77
74
77
69
HB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Elusiveness
Carrying
Juke Move
Catching
David Johnson
87
92
93
84
86
90
70
TJ Logan
73
93
92
80
79
83
69
Chase Edmonds
73
88
90
77
84
86
69
DJ Foster
64
90
89
70
79
74
69
FB
OVR
Speed
Strength
Carrying
Pass Block
Run Block
Lead Block
Impact Block
Derrick Coleman
63
87
70
83
53
62
67
46
WR
OVR
Speed
Agility
Catching
Short Route
Medium Route
Deep Route
Catching In Traffic
Spectacular Catch
Release
Jumping
Larry Fitzgerald
85
83
85
92
93
81
78
92
93
82
96
Christian Kirk
76
91
90
83
81
80
79
81
81
67
85
JJ Nelson
72
96
92
78
79
75
79
76
79
63
86
Chad Williams
71
90
85
79
85
74
76
81
85
74
85
Trent Sherfield
70
91
87
83
77
71
69
78
77
68
79
Malachi Dupre
65
88
86
83
68
69
69
76
85
66
93
Jalen Tolliver
65
88
84
80
69
67
70
77
78
63
89
Pharoh Cooper
65
87
91
78
67
66
71
70
75
63
85
TE
OVR
Speed
Agility
Catching
Short Route
Medium Route
Deep Route
Run Block
Jermaine Gresham
79
80
81
83
71
67
67
56
Ricky Seals-Jones
76
83
79
81
73
70
69
56
John Phillips
71
76
69
76
68
63
59
58
Darrell Daniels
69
86
83
76
60
56
53
56
Aaron Brewer
44
71
65
55
47
42
37
53
OL
OVR
Speed
Strength
Pass Block
Run Block
Lead Block
Impact Block
Mike Iupati
77
61
92
72
80
85
86
Justin Pugh
77
67
88
77
77
88
87
DJ Humphries
76
68
88
75
82
86
85
Alex Boone
72
63
90
72
71
87
84
Joe Barksdale
72
59
88
77
73
76
79
AQ Shipley
71
62
87
74
72
78
85
Oday Aboushi
69
56
79
73
73
83
82
Jeremy Vujnovich
68
75
90
69
71
76
75
Mason Cole
68
61
79
74
76
80
81
Colby Gossett
68
66
87
74
74
74
77
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DE
OVR
Speed
Agility
Strength
Block Shedding
Finesse Moves
Power Moves 
Chandler Jones
84
79
81
83
78
75
84
Markus Golden
76
81
72
69
74
63
77
Benson Mayowa
75
80
79
70
72
80
67
Gabe Martin
69
84
77
75
66
73
63
Zach Moore
67
78
75
78
75
76
67
Cameron Malveaux
66
80
73
76
78
69
76
Vontarrius Dora
63
72
74
76
71
64
68
DT
OVR
Speed
Strength
Power Moves
Finesse Moves
Block Shedding
Impact Block
Corey Peters
80
70
88
80
58
83
84
Robert Nkemdiche
77
77
82
72
79
72
85
Rodney Gunter
73
72
81
80
57
71
78
Olsen Pierre
73
66
79
77
53
81
79
Vincent Valentine
70
66
79
80
68
80
83
Pasoni Tasini
66
70
86
75
59
71
82
OLB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Tackle
Hit Power
Play Recognition
Pursuit
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Haason Reddick
76
88
87
82
83
75
81
63
62
Deone Bucannon
74
89
83
80
89
77
79
53
63
Jeremy Cash
65
85
83
78
83
58
75
50
60
Dennis Gardeck
62
85
72
75
76
46
76
50
60
MLB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Tackle
Hit Power
Play Recognition
Pursuit
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Josh Bynes
74
77
76
85
81
80
85
58
68
Gerald Hodges Jr
70
78
84
86
83
73
80
52
59
Joe Walker
67
85
84
84
79
66
76
49
58
Thurston Armbrister
60
83
82
74
78
58
74
57
61
CB
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Agility
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Press
Patrick Peterson
92
93
92
95
92
91
93
Budda Baker
80
90
90
92
78
72
72
David Amerson
75
89
91
87
75
69
79
Brandon Williams
70
93
92
91
71
68
72
Chris Jones
60
87
87
83
70
68
67
FS
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Agility
Play Recognition
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Tre Boston
83
86
89
88
84
80
84
Antoine Bethea
80
86
87
82
82
75
80
SS
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Tackle
Play Recognition
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
DJ Swearinger Sr
84
86
91
72
82
79
84
Rudy Ford
69
92
93
73
56
69
67
Ezekiel Turner
60
84
90
68
53
61
66
ST
OVR
Kick Power
Kick Accuracy
Andy Lee (P)
79
96
85
Phil Dawson (K)
77
92
82
Zane Gonzalez (K)
74
96
78

The Cardinals roster doesn't rate very well, but there is talent dotted all over the team. Josh Rosen (93 throw power, 85 short accuracy) is a good young quarterback to build around, and he has an excellent running back in David Johnson (92 speed, 92 juke move) to lean on. At wide receiver there is the legendary Larry Fitzgerald (96 jumping, 93 spectacular catch) as well as the speedster JJ Nelson (96 speed, 86 jumping), however there is a lack of talent at tight end and the offensive line is in particular need of an upgrade at every position.

Defensively things are a little better for the Cardinals. They have good pass rush thanks to Chandler Jones (85 play recognition, 84 power moves) and decent defensive tackles in Corey Peters (88 strength, 80 power moves) and Robert Nkemdiche (86 acceleration, 84 hit power). Haason Reddick (89 acceleration, 83 hit power) brings some more pressure from linebacker and Deone Bucannon (91 acceleration, 89 hit power) can cover a lot of ground too. Patrick Peterson (97 jumping, 92 man coverage) is a brilliant cornerback and Budda Baker (92 agility, 79 man coverage) is a good #2 while Tre Boston (84 zone coverage, 84 play recognition) and DJ Swearinger (84 zone coverage, 83 press) make a nice safety pairing.

Arizona Cardinals Playbook - Offense

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I Form Pro

I Form Slot Flex

I Form Twin TE

Strong I Tight

Weak I Wing

Singleback Ace

Singleback Ace Pair

Singleback Ace Slot

Singleback Bunch Ace

Singleback Dice Slot

Singleback Doubles South

Singleback Wing Pair

Singleback Wing Slot

Singleback Wing Stack

Singleback Wing Tight

Singleback Wing Tight Z

Singleback Y Trips

Pistol Bunch TE

Shotgun Ace Slot Offset

Shotgun Bunch HB Str

Shotgun Doubles

Shotgun Empty Bunch Wide

Shotgun Empty Trey Flex

Shotgun Trey Stack

Shotgun Flip Trips

Shotgun Split Close

Shotgun Stack Y-Flex

Shotgun Tight

Shotgun Trey

Shotgun Trips HB Wk

Shotgun Wing Stack

Shotgun Y Off Trio Wk

Shotgun Y Trips Wk

The Arizona Cardinals offensive playbook is a very nice one for shotgun heavy players. Formations like Split Close and Bunch HB Str put defenses in tough spots with the receivers and also leaves David Johnson with a lot of advantageous routes. There are a couple of stack formations that give receivers easy releases, while Shotgun Tight and Shotgun Trey also open up the deep route combinations to really stretch the field. There are enough under center formations to chew the clock too if that is more your style.

Arizona Cardinals Playbook - Defense

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4-3 Normal

4-3 Over

4-3 Over Plus

4-3 Under

4-3 Wide 9

4-4 Split

Nickel Normal

Nickel Double A Gap

Nickel Wide 9

Big Nickel Over G

Dime Normal

Quarter Normal

Quarter 3 Deep

Dollar 3-2-6

Goal Line Defense 5-3-3

Goal Line Defense 5-4-2

The Arizona Cardinals defensive playbook is a pretty standard 4-3 playbook. You have the standard 4-3 formations which offer few surprises, but the 4-4 Split formation is a nice change-up front. You get the usual nickel formations too, though fewer than some other 4-3 playbooks. There are just three nickel formations and one dime look. Big Nickel Over G is going to be the best sub package here.