What we currently know about Steelers on Madden 26

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t always gotten a ton of love on EA Sports‘ Madden games over the years, and as Madden 26 was announced it is clear the gaming franchise has used a litmus test based on analyst views of how they feel the Steelers may do in the NFL this upcoming season. While EA makes it clear that their in-game rosters will change based on real-life rosters, here’s what we know currently about Steelers in the game scheduled to be released in August of 2025.

Highest rated players

It comes as little surprise that former team captains showed up on the list ranked in the Top 10. Although fans have been mixed on social media about whether the Steelers should trade EDGE T.J. Watt for draft capital or keep him around, Madden 26 currently has Watt – a game wrecker for opponents – at the top of their chart.

Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick were also not major surprises, but the addition of Darius Slay and D.K. Metcalf seems to have piqued the interest of the game developers.

(Ratings, Images via MaddenRatings.com)

The Top 10 is loaded on defense for Pittsburgh, so what might the offense rankings look like?

Key offense players outside Top 10

With news on an Aaron Rodgers signing coming in very late on Thursday, the ratings were not updated as yet, but we thought it would be interesting to look at how the Madden 26 developers currently see the Steelers offense.

After a stellar season in 2024, center Zach Frazier was listed at No. 11 with a 82 Over and 78 general. That placed Frazier as the No. 6 center in the game behind Creed Humphrey, Frank Ragnow, Erik McCoy, Tyler Linderbaum, and Ryan Kelly.

As for quarterback, Mason Rudolph was given a 79 Passing-specific rating, 85 short throw accuracy, 79 medium throw accuracy, 77 deep throw accuracy, 86 throw power, 72 throw on the run, 78 throw under pressure, and 77 play action rating. In other words, Rudolph’s overall rating is currently 67. That’s not especially awe-inspiring for Steelers fans who enjoy putting their team’s players on the in-game roster. It does seem to stick with the trend that has been expressed around the league: that Rudolph is a mediocre option for Pittsburgh.

As for the run game, Jaylen Warren was given a ranking of 80. Some of his highest skills were in acceleration (94), speed (90), carrying (91), and toughness (86). If you take these numbers, Warren is ranked an “elusive back” and is currently the 33rd halfback in the game.

Overall team ranking & trends

The Madden 26 team currently has the Steelers – as a team – ranked as 86 over. That is a far cry from the Kansas City Chiefs (92) but closer to the Philadelphia Eagles (87) despite both of those teams playing in the Super Bowl following the 2025 NFL regular season. With Saquon Barkley featured on the cover, the ranking for the Eagles was a bit of a surprise.

Several Steelers will be given special card/player designations in the latest installment of the highly anticipated Madden game. Both Watt and Heyward are considered Superstar X-Factor players. Fitzpatrick, Slay, and Highsmith are considered Superstar players.

The Steelers, as a team, are ranked dead last in the AFC North currently on the Madden 26 ratings chart. The Baltimore Ravens have a 91 over while the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns both received 87 over ratings.

Thankfully, these are all a part of a video game and subject to change. While the Steelers may not have a championship year in 2025, they’re expected to perform better in real-life situations. Time will tell.

The trailer

The latest trailer from EA Sports was just released and shows some of the latest upgrades the development team has made ahead of the launch for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | S and Nintendo Switch 2. If you’re a big Madden gaming fan, the under the hood improvements should get you excited for August.