Philadelphia Eagles: Cre’von LeBlanc is right to be mad at Madden

After becoming the surprise breakout star of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2019 season, slot corner Cre’von LeBlanc is rightfully mad at his 2020 Madden rating.

Philadelphia Eagles fans have a lot to like about Madden 2020.

With the highest-rated roster in the entire league and three players rated 90 or higher, the Eagles should be a fun team to use when the game officially launches on August 2nd.

However, one player who isn’t particularly happy with Madden’s ratings department is slot cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc and rightfully so: he got robbed.

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And really, he makes some good points.

According to Pro Football Focus, LeBlanc was the highest-rated overall cornerback in the postseason with a wonderful 85.6. For those keeping track at home, that’s higher than Marshon Lattimore, Stephon Gilmore, and Byron Jones.

Now sure, LeBlanc almost exclusively did his work out of the slot – often facing off against ‘lesser competition then his outside brethren – but he still made the most of his targets, finishing out the season with the 10th fewest yards allowed per coverage snap at 1.02 of any inside corner (again from our friends at PFF).

Ten years ago, a slot cornerback was essentially looked at as a team’s fifth-best defensive back, but in the modern NFL, where three or more wide receivers are on the field roughly 70 percent of the time, defensive coordinators desperately need specialized athletes on the inside with recovery speed, agility, and loose hips to break inside or out.

Despite playing for three different teams since going undrafted out of Florida Atlantic University in 2016, LeBlanc has that skillset (even if his Madden rating would suggest otherwise).

Well, at least he had that skillset while playing in Philly.

That’s the wacky thing about playing cornerback in the NFL; a player can perform very, very well in one scheme, and struggle mightily in another.

While LeBlanc doesn’t have the prototypical athleticism to play on the outside in a man press scheme, or the ball skills and vision to operate in either a zone off or zone press scheme, Cre’von has exhibited an aggressive physicality that Jim Schwartz loves on in his cornerbacks.

And in all honesty, that’s the beauty of Madden ratings: they can always go up or down.

If LeBlanc can beat out a variable Greek Chorus of similarly aged cornerbacks for a starting spot on the inside in 2019, and continue on the upward trajectory he started in the back half of the 2018 season (and in the playoffs), it’s entirely possible he could end up not only watching his rating get better and better with each passing season, but also earn a brand new, big-money contract in the process.

After losing Patrick Robinson to the New Orleans Saints in March of 2018 on a four-year, $20 million deal, Cre’von LeBlanc could finally give the Philadelphia Eagles a long-term answer in the slot for the first time since Brandon Boykin donned the midnight green all the way back in 2014.

Not too bad for a mid-season waiver wire claim.