Oakland Raiders: Which players did Madden overrate and underrate?
By Justin Fried
Overrated: CB/S Lamarcus Joyner
The Raiders secondary was one of the worst in the league in 2018 and while much of that could have been attributed to the seemingly invisible pass rush, there’s no doubt that there was still work to be done in the defensive backfield.
That’s why the signing of Lamarcus Joyner in the offseason was met with such widespread praise. After all, Joyner was just two years removed from an absolutely fantastic season with the Los Angeles Rams where he finished as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 3 ranked safety.
This came following a breakout season in which the 5-foot-8 safety recorded three interceptions and nine pass deflections in just 12 games establishing himself as a standout on an excellent Rams defense.
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However, Joyner regressed to his previous career average with a solid, but not great 2018 season last year. There’s no doubt that he will be a massive bonus for Paul Guenther’s defense, but his Madden rating still seems a bit steep.
His 85 overall rating places him as the third-highest player on the Raiders and the sixth-highest rated free safety. Ignoring the fact that he likely won’t even be playing that position this year, that rating is simply too high given his play last season.
And considering his one excellent season, it’s fair to question whether Joyner is more of a one-year wonder. On top of that, the Florida State product hasn’t played as a nickel cornerback since the 2016 season so it’s reasonable to wonder how well he will even play this year.
He should hopefully still be an improvement over the combination of Leon Hall and Nick Nelson that the Raiders threw out there last year, but an 85 overall is too rich for our liking.