Madden 20: New England Patriots Player Ratings, Roster, Depth Chart, Salary Cap, Free Agents & Needs - Tom Brady, Antonio Brown & more

The New England Patriots are the dominant team in the NFL right now and reviled for all their recent success and the new signing of Antonio Brown. They have been to 4 of the last 5 Super Bowls, winning three of them.

Despite the salary cap forcing them to turn over their roster and age continuing to take shots at their quarterback, the Patriots are still the force in the AFC, beating the red-hot Chiefs twice last season on the way to yet another Super Bowl win.

However things are easy in the virtual world. Part of the Patriots brilliance is down to the minds of their head coach and quarterback, and unfortunately you don't get Bill Belichick's wisdom in Madden 20.

Can you take over from the most successful head coach in NFL history and continue the Patriots dynasty in Franchise Mode?

Team Rating

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The Patriots start Madden 20 with a very healthy 79 overall. This puts them 6th in the NFL, tied with 3 other teams.

The offense is the star of the show, with an massive score of 85. That is the third highest in Madden 20, equal with Rams and Saints, and only bettered by the Eagles and Cowboys.This is thanks the future Hall of Famer under center but also some quality and depth around him.

The defense is less strong, with a score of 79, but they have quality where it counts and the ability to create turnovers.

So who are this teams best players?

Tom Brady, Quarterback (96 OVR)

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Age: 42

Development Trait: Superstar X-Factor

Contract: 1 year/$21.5 million

2019 Cap Hit: $21.5 million

Best Stats: Short Accuracy (99), Play Action (99), Awareness (99), Medium Accuracy (98), Throw Power (91), Throw Under Pressure (90), Deep Accuracy (89)

Tom Brady is a guaranteed Hall of Famer and is the most successful player to ever put on pads and a helmet. With six Super Bowl rings, 3 MVPs, and a top 3 spot in nearly ever passing record of note, he doesn't have much left to achieve. Brady's 19 seasons in the NFL have been punctuated by pin-point accuracy, remarkable pre-snap reads, and incredible performances in the clutch.

In Madden 20 Brady is an assassin in the pocket. He has perfect short accuracy (99) and near-perfect medium accuracy (98). He can fool defenses with play action (99) and still has good throw power (91) to drive the ball deep. His awareness (99) is elite but you will have to do the pre-snap reads for him.

He has 5 superstar abilities that include getting better pass blocking, extra hot routes, and clutch performance, while his X-Factor ability "Pro Reads" will highlight the first open receiver for you.

Stephon Gilmore, Cornerback (94 OVR)

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Age: 28

Development Trait: Superstar X-Factor

Contract: 3 years/$47.57 million

2019 Cap Hit: $9.17 million

Best Stats: Man Coverage (96), Awareness (95), Press (95), Agility (94), Acceleration (94), Play Recognition (93), Speed (91), Zone Coverage (90)

Stephon Gilmore started his career as the 10th overall pick in 2012 for the Buffalo Bills. He 5 good seasons there before joining the Patriots as a free agent ahead of the 2017 season. Since then Gilmore has become a lockdown cornerback, often being left one-on-one with the opposition's best receiver and winning his battles.

Gilmore is a monster in man coverage (96), with amazing awareness (95), press (95), and play recognition (93) to sniff out plays his way and find the ball.

His superstar abilities provide boosts to his man coverage and breakup ability, while his X-Factor tightens coverage and makes interceptions more likely.

Devin McCourty, Free Safety (89 OVR)

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Age: 32

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 1 year/$13.4 million

2019 Cap Hit: $13.4 million

Best Stats: Zone Coverage (92), Speed (90), Acceleration (90), Play Recognition (90), Awareness (88), Pursuit (86), Man Coverage (85)

Devin McCourty was a first-round pick for the Patriots in 2010. Initially he started life as a cornerback and made 7 interceptions as a rookie, earning himself a spot in the Pro Bowl. After a tough sophomore year he started seeing snaps at free safety and soon converted to the position full time where he became a downfield eraser for the Patriots, prowling the deep zones and preventing opposing quarterbacks from finding open windows.

In Madden 20 McCourty is a strong zone safety (92), but he can man up (85) on a player if need be. He has good speed (90) and acceleration (90) to cover ground but his tackling (74) is not ideal.

Shaq Mason, Right Guard (88 OVR)

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Age: 26

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 5 years/$43.6 million

2019 Cap Hit: $7.4 million

Best Stats: Run Block Power (92), Run Block (89), Lead Block (89), Awareness (89), Impact Block (88), Strength (87), Pass Block Power (87)

Shaq Mason was a fourth-round pick in 2015 for the Patriots and quickly slotted into the right guard spot as a rookie. In his second year he locked the spot down and has grown and improved ever since.

Mason is a strong run blocker (89) who's strength (87) also shines through in pass protection (84).

Full Roster & Depth Chart

QB
OVR
SPD
THP
SAC
MAC
DAC
Tom Brady
96
60
91
99
98
89
Brian Hoyer
64
67
80
84
76
73
Jarrett Stidham
58
79
87
78
70
70
HB
OVR
SPD
CAR
SFA
ELU
JKM
James White
86
89
91
67
87
92
Sony Michel
84
90
91
83
84
90
Rex Burkhead
76
84
88
71
77
84
Damien Harris
69
87
90
78
69
82
Brandon Bolden
67
88
85
83
60
76
FB
OVR
SPD
CAR
PBK
RBK
James Develin
75
70
76
62
68
WR
OVR
SPD
CTH
SRR
MRR
DRR
Julian Edelman
87
86
88
97
89
83
Josh Gordon
83
91
86
84
86
86
Demaryius Thomas
81
90
83
85
84
81
Cameron Meredith
78
89
88
83
82
81
Phillip Dorsett
77
95
85
79
77
77
N’Keal Harry
74
88
84
74
71
70
Braxton Berrios
69
91
78
80
77
71
Jakobi Meyers
67
85
83
76
73
70
Matthew Slater
65
86
75
73
70
64
Damoun Patterson
62
89
80
66
64
68
TE
OVR
SPD
CTH
SRR
RBK
Benjamin Watson
82
79
87
79
55
Lance Kendricks
77
82
75
74
72
Eric Saubert
71
83
75
65
68
Matt LaCosse
70
82
79
64
55
Ryan Izzo
69
74
74
61
71
Joe Cardona
38
75
56
35
45
OL
OVR
PBK
RBK
LBK
IBL
Shaq Mason
88
84
89
89
88
David Andrews
84
84
90
82
84
Joe Thuney
84
87
82
82
81
Marcus Cannon
80
77
85
79
84
Isaiah Wynn
73
77
78
83
82
Ted Karras
67
69
72
84
80
Hjalte Froholdt
61
66
65
81
76
Yodny Cajuste
61
65
67
81
82
Jermaine Elumunor
58
65
63
55
80
Korey Cunningham
56
63
58
78
76
Showing 1-10 of 12
Row count:Go to page:
DE
OVR
SPD
STR
PMV
FMV
BSH
Michael Bennett
85
73
91
87
75
85
John Simon
74
81
82
75
61
77
Deatrich Wise Jr
72
75
85
73
63
60
Chase Winovich
71
85
77
74
62
75
Derek Rivers
68
85
83
64
72
70
DT
OVR
SPD
STR
PMV
FMV
BSH
Lawrence Guy
82
71
87
73
62
87
Danny Shelton
74
51
93
69
44
72
Adam Butler
69
65
84
76
65
59
Ufomba Kamalu
66
76
81
75
65
59
David Parry
65
59
90
64
43
59
Byron Cowart
63
67
84
67
69
71
OLB
OVR
SPD
PRC
TAK
MCV
ZCV
Don’t’a Hightower
83
82
87
92
53
62
Kyle Van Noy
77
82
85
82
59
69
Jamie Collins Sr
73
85
86
78
55
63
Shilique Calhoun
66
78
56
78
37
44
Brandon King
60
89
61
65
58
62
MLB
OVR
SPD
TAK
BSH
MCV
ZCV
Ja’Whaun Bentley
74
81
84
79
57
64
Elandon Roberts
71
85
87
70
45
56
Christian Sam
63
81
78
75
53
57
Calvin Munson
59
79
82
57
47
51
CB
OVR
SPD
MCV
ZCV
PRS
Stephon Gilmore
94
91
96
90
95
Jason McCourty
85
92
84
81
84
Jonathan Jones
76
95
74
68
72
JC Jackson
75
90
76
72
78
Obi Melifonwu
70
92
63
68
81
Joejuan Williams
70
87
73
69
78
Keion Crossen
68
95
71
63
72
Ken Webster
63
91
59
63
70
FS
OVR
SPD
PRC
ZCV
TAK
Devin McCourty
89
90
90
92
74
Duke Dawson Jr
67
90
59
71
68
Nate Ebner
66
85
67
59
73
AJ Howard
55
89
47
58
68
SS
OVR
SPD
PRC
ZCV
TAK
Patrick Chung
82
85
89
83
76
Duron Harmon
75
88
74
81
67
Terrence Brooks
69
91
63
73
62
K
OVR
KPW
KAC
Stephen Gostkowski
80
96
86
P
OVR
KPW
KAC
Jake Bailey
68
94
63

The New England Patriots roster is full of quality, albeit not the youthful athletic quality that many players crave in their franchise teams.

Tom Brady (99 short accuracy, 98 medium accuracy) leads the team but is almost guaranteed to retire after year 1, meaning you have a very small window with an elite quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

Supporting Brady is a cast of solid weapons that make the Patriots a pretty flexible offense. At running back you have the tandem of Sony Michel (93 agility, 84 trucking) and James White (92 acceleration, 79 catching) as well as rookie Damien Harris (90 carrying, 82 juke move).

At wide receiver is the ever-reliable slot option of Julian Edelman (97 short route, 88 catching) along with the deep threats of Josh Gordon (91 speed, 89 spectacular catch) and Phillip Dorsett (95 speed, 89 jump). Demaryius Thomas (90 spectacular catch, 90 jump) and Cameron Meredith (90 jump, 88 catching) provide solid options too, allowing you to spread the ball out.

Tight end is a bit of a weakness now that Rob Gronkowksi has retired, but Benjamin Watson (87 catching, 79 short route) is a solid player for the time being.

The offensive line is consistent and reliable. The interior trio of Joe Thuney (87 pass block, 82 run block), David Andrews (90 run block, 84 pass block), and Shaq Mason (89 run block, 84 pass block) are very good while young left tackle Isaiah Wynn (78 run block, 77 pass block) will improve with time.

Defensively the strength of the Patriots lies in the secondary. Stephon Gilmore (96 man cover, 95 press) is a star cornerback and Devin McCourty (92 zone cover, 90 play recognition) can make plays at free safety. Jason McCourty (92 speed, 84 man cover) is a good #2 corner while Jonathan Jones (95 speed, 74 man cover) and JC Jackson (92 acceleration, 76 man cover) are young up-and-comers that can play the slot.

Salary Cap

The Patriots start franchise mode with 74 players in the preseason and $26.3 million in cap space. Cutting down to the 53-man roster should take that up to $30-32 million depending on who you cut, which is a nice sum of money and leaves you with the flexibility to make a trade and retain some up coming free agents.

Tom Brady's $21.5 million should come off the books in season 2, leaving you with a lot of space if you opt to replace him with a cheap rookie. However, there are some impending free agents you'll need to look after with that space...

Impending Free Agents

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When you start franchise mode with the Patriots in the preseason there will be 28 players entering the last season of their contract. Most of these players will be cut before the season starts, but there are some players that you will be relying on and will have to have a plan for. Excluding Tom Brady, who will retire after season 1, who are the key players to think about re-signing?

Devin McCourty, Free Safety (89 OVR)

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McCourty is the soul of the Patriots secondary, and the rangy free safety has been a key part of their Super Bowl triumphs. At 32 he is certainly on the decline, but finding top free safeties is hard work. There isn't much behind him, with Duke Dawson (67 OVR) unlikely to be ready to take over in season 2.

McCourty's speed (90), acceleration (90), and zone coverage (92) will all take a hit going into season 2, but unless you can find a strong rookie in the draft you would be wise to hang on to McCourty for another year.

Joe Thuney, Left Guard (84 OVR)

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Thuney makes up a key part of the Patriots offense. Their strength on the interior of the offensive line provides a good pocket to work in and lanes for the running backs.

At 26 Thuney is entering his prime and has plenty of room for improvement. His pass block (87), run block (82) and awareness (87) will all improve so you should extend him.

Josh Gordon, Wide Receiver (83 OVR)

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Thankfully you don't have to worry about Josh Gordon getting suspended in Madden 20 so you are only concerned about what he can bring you on the field.

Keeping him really comes down to what kind of offense you want to be. Gordon's speed (91), deep route running (86), and spectacular catch (89) make him a good deep ball receiver. That's useful if you are a run & play action offense or like to stand in the shotgun and fire bombs downfield. If that isn't you then he isn't really needed here.

Wide receivers are also very easy to add in the draft so don't be afraid of letting Gordon walk.

Kyle Van Noy, Outside Linebacker (77 OVR)

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At 28 Van Noy is in that frustrating area for a contract extension. The Madden aging curve usually kicks in around 30, so he doesn't have long until his stats will take a hit. However, the Patriots are not especially deep at linebacker and finding one that can do a bit of everything is hard.

Van Noy can tackle (82), has good acceleration (89) to close down ball carriers and solid zone coverage (69) and power moves (77). That is a useful package that will allow you to move between 3-4 and 4-3 base defenses and disguise your bitzes and coverages.

New England Patriots Roster Needs

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The biggest need for the Patriots is a successor to Tom Brady. Until you have that nothing really matters. It is relatively easy to develop a quarterback in Madden since you do all the thinking and reading for them, but drafting one with good arm strength and accuracy immediately is not always easy.

After the QB, the Patriots pass rush could use a boost. The defensive line has nice depth but no stand out player. You could try and develop the likes of Chase Winovich and Deatrich Wise but that will be hard work.

Finding a long-term replacement for Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung will be key to preventing big plays on defense. Both are 32 and will struggle to remain productive into season 3, if they remain in the NFL at all.

You can move cornerbacks into free safety relatively simply, but finding a player that can run and tackle is tricky.

The offensive line could use an upgrade at right tackle, but that isn't too urgent.

The priority for your first free agency/draft will be quarterback, and once that is sorted you can begin to fill in around it with a new free safety, an good option at tight end, and more pass rush.

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