It would appear star Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman DJ Reader isn’t too happy with his “Madden NFL 23” overall rating at the game’s launch.
EA Sports dropped the ratings for the top 10 defensive tackles on social media this week and Reader’s name didn’t make an appearance. He’s instead an 84 overall.
Reader then took to Twitter with a censored bit of cursing while tagging the game’s official Twitter account.
It’s unfortunate that Reader’s elite season went overlooked, but it’s not too surprising, either. He’s the big man in the middle who commands attention and lets others around him get one-on-ones and put up the flashy numbers like sacks. He’s also a major part of the reason linebackers like Logan Wilson broke out last year.
But Reader, a great 80.8 PFF grade last year or not as the heart of the defense, doesn’t put up those flashy stats that moves the needle in terms of video game ratings.
But like Ja’Marr Chase and other Bengals, it’s clear Reader will just use this perceived snub as an underdog-type motivation going into 2022.
These guys are forces of nature 😤
The top-10 DL in #Madden23 @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/xyl1XtbyN4
— ESPN (@espn) July 21, 2022
Hey @EAMaddenNFL f**k You!!!
— Dj Reader (@Djread98) July 21, 2022
