Madden 20: New Orleans Saints Player Ratings, Roster, Depth Chart, Salary Cap, Free Agents & Needs - Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara & more

The New Orleans Saints have long been one of the most talented and impressive teams in the NFL, but their season has ended in heartbreak the last two years.

In 2017 it was in the Divisonal Round against the Vikings, when an unlikely last-second touchdown, dubbed the "Minneapolis Miracle", sent them home. Last season they were hosting the NFC Championship game and had a chance to seal the game with a first down. The referees missed an obvious defensive pass interference and the Rams ended up forcing overtime and eventually winning. That no-call was bad enough to force the NFL into a rule change.

After two years of misery the Saints window for success is closing. Star quarterback Drew Brees is now 40, making 2019 potentially his last. Can you take over in franchise mode and guide the Saints to their second Super Bowl triumph?

Team Rating

expand image

The Saints enter Madden 20 with a very strong 81 OVR. That puts them behind only the Eagles and Cowboys, and tied with the Rams, Patriots, and Bears.

The Saints' strength is their 85 rated offense, powered by Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, and Michael Thomas among others. Defensively the Saints are weaker, rated 79 but they too have their own set of stars that can make an impact.

READ MORE: NBA 2K20 Review - The best story mode around

Michael Thomas, Wide Receiver (93 OVR)

expand image

Age: 26

Development Trait: Superstar X-Factor

Contract: 6 years/$97.9 million

2019 Cap Hit: $6.13 million

Best Stats: Catching (98), Short Route (95), Catch In Traffic (95), Medium Route (94), Spectacular Catch (94), Acceleration (92), Release (92)

To say Michael Thomas is a monster would be an understatement. A second-round pick in 2016, Thomas has been a 1,000+ yard receiver in every season, reaching career marks in catches (125) and yards (1,405) last season as he made his first First Team All-Pro and earned a monster new contract.

In Madden 20 Thomas' catching (98) is his best asset. He is a strong route runner (95 short, 94 medium, 89 deep) and he has good release (92) and jumping (90) that will help in the redzone.

Drew Brees, Quarterback (92 OVR)

expand image

Age: 40

Development Trait: Superstar X-Factor

Contract: 1 year/$22.7 million

2019 Cap Hit: $22.7 million

Best Stats: Short Accuracy (99), Awareness (97), Play Action (96), Medium Accuracy (95), Throw Under Pressure (93), Deep Accuracy (90)

Drew Brees was a second-round pick for the San Diego Chargers in 2001. He sat his rookie season and took over in 2002. He started for them for four years before a shoulder injury, along with the Chargers adding Phil Rivers, led to Brees leaving after the 2005 season. He arrived in New Orleans and immediately pushed them up towards the Super Bowl. They triumphed in the 2009 season, claiming the Saints first Lombardi Trophy. Brees in the all-time NFL leader in passing yards and should hit the top in passing touchdowns this year.

In Madden 20 Brees is an assassin in the pocket (99 short, 95 medium, 90 deep). His throw power (85) is no longer ideal, but with his quality on play action (96) and under pressure (93) means he is a superb all-round passer.

READ MORE: All the best playbooks in Madden 20

Cameron Jordan, Defensive End (91 OVR)

expand image

Age: 30

Development Trait: Superstar X-Factor

Contract: 5 years/$78.3 million

2019 Cap Hit: $9.54 million

Best Stats: Awareness (97), Play Recognition (97), Power Moves (92), Block Shed (92), Strength (91), Tackle (89), Pursuit (89)

The Saints drafted Cameron Jordan in the first-round of the 2011 draft and have been well rewarded for their investment. Jordan picked up 12.5 sacks in his 2013 season as he got his first Pro Bowl invitation. Over the last two years Jordan has made the First Team All-Pro once and racked up 25 total sacks and 49 QB hits.

Jordan is a terrifc end in Madden 20. With good strength (91) and elite awareness (97) and play recognition (97) he can sniff out the play and find the ball. He has amazing power moves (92) and his pursuit (89) and tackle (89) combine with his block shed (92) to make him a strong run defender as well as pass rusher.

Marshon Lattimore, Cornerback (87 OVR)

expand image

Age: 23

Development Trait: Superstar

Contract: 2 years/$9.08 million

2019 Cap Hit: $4.19 million

Best Stats: Acceleration (94), Speed (93), Jumping (91), Agility (91), Man Coverage (89), Press (86), Zone Coverage (84)

Marshon Lattimore was the 11th overall pick for the Saints in 2017 and made an immediate impact. As a rookie he racked up 5 interceptions and 18 deflections, earning himself a Pro Bowl invite. In 2018 quarterbacks started avoiding him but he still picked off 2 passes and forced 4 fumbles.

Lattimore is a physical athlete in Madden 20. He has good speed (93) and acceleration (94) to underpin his whole game, while his jumping (91) and agility (91) will help him in all situations. He is best in man coverage (89) and good in the press (86) but he can play zone too (84).

READ MORE: 7 tips to improve your offense

Full Roster & Depth Chart

QB
OVR
SPD
THP
SAC
MAC
DAC
Drew Brees
92
68
85
99
95
90
Teddy Bridgewater
73
82
84
85
80
81
Taysom Hill
58
89
82
74
67
71
HB
OVR
SPD
CAR
SFA
ELU
JKM
Alvin Kamara
90
89
93
88
87
92
Latavius Murray
79
90
89
87
75
85
Dwayne Washington
68
90
84
81
73
79
Matthew Dayes
57
84
80
68
71
83
FB
OVR
SPD
CAR
RBK
Zach Line
74
82
84
70
WR
OVR
SPD
CTH
SRR
MRR
DRR
Michael Thomas
93
89
98
95
94
89
Ted Ginn Jr
80
92
83
82
84
86
Tre’Quan Smith
74
89
83
79
78
76
Keith Kirkwood
69
91
81
74
70
73
Austin Carr
68
86
84
74
75
69
Deonte Harris
62
91
76
66
66
68
TE
OVR
SPD
CTH
SRR
RBK
Jared Cook
87
85
89
82
52
Josh Hill
78
83
81
73
60
Garrett Griffin
66
81
73
62
57
Zach Wood
38
67
46
24
51
OL
OVR
PBK
RBK
LBK
IBL
Terron Armstead
88
91
86
90
85
Ryan Ramczyk
86
88
88
89
88
Larry Warford
79
82
74
75
85
Andrus Peat
72
71
76
77
88
Erik McCoy
67
71
74
80
83
Nick Easton
62
65
67
76
75
Patrick Omameh
60
64
64
79
78
Cameron Tom
58
67
64
75
77
Will Clapp
58
68
65
75
74
Ethan Greenidge
55
62
64
78
76
DE
OVR
SPD
STR
PMV
FMV
BSH
Cameron Jordan
91
78
91
92
71
92
Trey Hendrickson
73
84
79
58
74
58
Marcus Davenport
72
85
81
75
67
71
Wes Horton
70
77
79
77
64
61
Josh Martin
70
84
78
74
60
78
Carl Granderson
63
79
74
61
69
63
DT
OVR
SPD
STR
PMV
FMV
BSH
Sheldon Rankins
83
71
89
84
79
73
David Onyemata
78
70
89
83
64
71
Malcom Brown
73
71
85
76
58
73
Mario Edwards Jr
70
77
88
69
59
70
Taylor Stallworth
65
63
81
66
57
69
Shy Tuttle
64
75
82
60
64
70
OLB
OVR
SPD
TAK
POW
MCV
ZCV
Demario Davis
85
86
84
86
66
71
Kiko Alonso
73
81
87
85
51
61
AJ Klein
72
83
80
75
50
61
Craig Robertson
71
78
85
80
63
70
MLB
OVR
SPD
TAK
BSH
MCV
ZCV
Alex Anzalone
74
85
82
71
67
74
Kaden Elliss
60
82
77
66
53
58
CB
OVR
SPD
MCV
ZCV
PRS
Marshon Lattimore
87
93
89
84
86
Patrick Robinson
82
87
80
87
85
Eli Apple
76
92
76
70
75
PJ Williams
75
90
71
68
80
Ken Crawley
75
91
73
70
77
Justin Hardee
65
93
67
60
65
FS
OVR
SPD
PRC
ZCV
TAK
Marcus Williams
83
89
86
79
76
Saquan Hampton
61
87
58
64
65
SS
OVR
SPD
PRC
ZCV
TAK
Vonn Bell
76
88
84
76
76
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
70
90
66
74
66
JT Gray
60
89
51
63
72
K
OVR
KPW
KAC
Wil Lutz
77
97
88
P
OVR
KPW
KAC
Thomas Morstead
84
94
95

READ MORE: 7 tips to improve your defense

The Saints roster is full of talented players, especially at key positions.

Drew Brees (99 short accuracy, 96 play action) runs the show on offense with a stellar supporting cast. Alvin Kamara (94 acceleration, 92 juke move) is an exceptional running back who can catch the ball too.

Michael Thomas (98 catching, 95 short route) leads the receiving corps while Ted Ginn Jr (92 speed, 86 deep route) provides a deep option and Tre'Quan Smith (89 speed, 89 jumping) is a nice #3. Tight end Jared Cook (90 acceleration, 89 catching) can do damage on the inside too.

The offensive line is stout, with bookend tackles Terron Armstead (91 pass block, 86 run block) and Ryan Ramczyk (88 pass block, 88 run block) protecting Brees and right guard Larry Warford (90 strength, 82 pass block) is a solid blocker inside.

Defensively the Saints have two stars in defensive end Cameron Jordan (92 power moves, 92 block shed) and cornerback Marshon Lattimore (93 speed, 89 man cover). Around them is a nice defensive line featuring Sheldon Rankins (89 strength, 84 power moves), and Marcus Davenport (88 acceleration, 75 power moves).

The Saints are a bit thin at linebacker, with Demario Davis (90 play recognition, 88 pursuit) the only standout player. The secondary has ok depth, with Patrick Robinson (91 acceleration, 87 zone cover) the #2 corner with Eli Apple (92 speed, 76 man cover) in the slot.

Marcus Williams (90 acceleration, 79 zone cover) and Vonn Bell (90 acceleration, 84 play recognition) make a good safety pairing too.

READ MORE: All the best half backs in Madden 20

Salary Cap

The Saints have 54 players on their roster when you start in the preseason and $29.8 million in cap space.

This means that you aren't going to create any extra space when you just cut one player, but you do have the flexibility to add a free agent or make a trade immediately if want to add talent at the start of season 1. However, you should be sure to leave some room, as there are several key players you need to think about re-signing...

READ MORE: Best money plays in Madden 20

Impending Free Agents

expand image

New Orleans start franchise mode with 24 players on the last year of their contracts. This includes star quarterback Drew Brees, but at 40 years old he is likely to retire after season 1, and even if he doesn't he will be very expensive to retain and you'll only get another season out of him. So if you are letting Brees walk who should you be looking to keep?

David Onyemata, Defensive Tackle (78 OVR)

expand image

It starts with David Onyemata. The defensive tackle may not stand out as a star player, but having good depth at this position is vital to stopping the run, something that can be tricky in Madden 20. With good strength (89) and power moves (83) Onyemata will be a useful piece of the defense for a while.

READ MORE: Fastest players in Madden 20

Eli Apple, Cornerback (76 OVR)

expand image

4 of the Saints 6 cornerbacks have just 1 year left. Replacing that many corners is very difficult in one year, so you should keep some of them. At 24 years old Eli Apple should be the priority of the position. He has good speed (92) and solid man coverage (76) and at his age still has time to improve.

PJ Williams (90 speed, 71 man coverage) is another you should attempt to hold on to as long as his asking price is reasonable.

Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback (73 OVR)

expand image

If you don't get the chance to keep Brees, or don't want to invest a lot of cap space into him for 1 more year then you will need a QB, and Teddy Bridgewater is a good place to start.

His throw power (84) isn't perfect but he is pretty accurate (85 short, 80 medium, 81 deep) and he can move too (86 acceleration, 85 agility). Under Brees in season 1 you won't be near the top of the draft to get a good rookie QB, so developing Bridgewater is an excellent solution to the problem, at least in the short-term.

READ MORE: Best ways to cheat in Madden 20

Roster Needs

expand image

The obvious priority when it comes to the Saints roster is finding a successor to Drew Brees.

Teddy Bridgewater can be that guy, but if you don't think he is then it will take serious draft captial to find a new quarterback that you can compete with.

On offense upgrades at center and left guard are needed on the offensive line as these spots are big holes that will hurt your running game.

Another elite threat opposite Michael Thomas would be good, and receivers are fairly easy to draft late this year.

Defensively help at linebacker is a must. The defensive line is flexible enough to run a 3-4 or 4-3 base, but you need off-ball linebackers to help Demario Davis out.

Another corner to play along side Marshon Lattimore would be useful too. Patrick Robinson is 31 so will start to decline and Apple shouldn't be isolated on the outside too often.

This Article's Topics

Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!

Madden
Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!