Eagles' weirdest Madden rating exposes painful roster flaw in 2025

It's almost common knowledge at this point that the Philadelphia Eagles have the strongest roster in the NFL, top to bottom. There are superstars everywhere on both sides of the ball.

The team's ratings in Madden 26 reflect that. They have five players rated 90 overall or higher, and another nine between 80 and 89. It's a superteam, but it's not without flaws.

One brutal rating highlights the team's biggest weakness heading into the 2025 season.

Sydney Brown's Madden rating shows just how bad Eagles safeties might be

At a 73 overall, safety Sydney Brown is the Eagles' lowest-rated starter. It's not particularly close. The Eagles are known for being hesitant to spend on safeties in order to free up space for stars elsewhere. Brown is the most recent example, as he steps into the starting lineup with C.J. Gardner-Johnson off in Houston.

Putting Brown in the starting lineup might be the biggest gamble the Eagles are taking going into this season. The Madden ratings team seems to think it won't work out.

A closer look at the safety's ratings will make fans even more worried. Madden gave him a 67 for zone coverage ability, a 74 for man coverage, and a 64 for tackling. According to his ratings, Brown doesn't have much to his game other than above-average athleticism.

They're not exactly wrong, either. The third-year safety has just over 400 defensive snaps in his career. He's only started in four games, and he's failed to make much of an impact when he's been on the field. While his two interceptions are encouraging, he's been responsible for some brutal coverage breakdowns as well.

On top of the coverage woes, Brown hasn't proved himself to be a reliable tackler. He's missed over 12% of his attempted tackles over the last two seasons, per PFF.

Hopefully, Brown can take a step forward in his third year with the Eagles. A team with such high expectations can't afford to have a glaring weakness in the secondary. If he fails to perform, rookie Andrew Mukuba will be ready to take his place. Philadelphia spent a second-round pick on Mukuba, so he should see plenty of playing time. While the rookie has been battling an injury throughout the preseason, the team is optimistic about his development.

But whether it's Brown or Mukuba starting on the back end, the Eagles could have a serious weak spot to overcome.