The gameplay trailer for EA Sports Madden 21 was released on Tuesday morning, showing a few new gameplay quirks such as an improved ball-carrier control stick, ‘clutch’ open-field tackling, and user-generated touchdown celebrations.
For brief moments, both Washington Redskins DE Chase Young, and RB Derrius Guice were featured in the 90-second clip, but any fan of the Burgundy & Gold couldn’t help but notice the absence of Terry McLaurin. While Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson graces the cover, which is set with an additional ‘MVP Edition’ available, it got us to thinking — who is the most likely player in Washington to be featured on the Madden cover one day? We decided to rank it out.
Before we get into the rankings, let’s look at which position players they normally give the covers to. Since the game started featuring NFL athletes on the front in 2000, these are the positions who have been put on the front:
Quarterback: 8
Running Back: 5
Wide Receiver: 4
Defensive Player: 3
Tight End: 1
With that being said, let’s get down to the rankings.
No. 1 — QB Dwayne Haskins
Shocker, right? He may not be the best player on the Redskins right now or even have the highest ceiling from skill-position players, but his path to a Madden cover is the most visible from here. All it would take for Haskins to become an NFL star and household name is to have a couple of great seasons, lead the Redskins on a deep playoff run, and be fun to watch while doing so. Those may seem like three big steps to take, but considering all of the buzz that we’ve heard from him this offseason, and the improvement we witnessed near the end of 2019, I don’t think Haskins becoming a legitimate NFL QB is as out of the question as you may think.
What if Haskins takes a step forward, Derrius Guice stays healthy, Terry McLaurin continues to thrive, and the defense is as dominant as expected? I’m not saying he’s going to be the cover athlete for Madden 22, but 23 or 24? I’d buy it. Haskins has the looks, he has the personality, and he has the style. Now he just needs the accolades to go along with it.