Corey Linsley earns top center honors, Rashawn Slater starts year two strong in Madden 23

This week’s reveal schedule for Madden 23 has come to an end today as the final ratings were revealed for both the offensive lineman and quarterbacks. Justin Herbert will have his own article about his ratings, so we’re taking a look at just the offensive linemen in this one.

The Bolts certainly have their stars up front. The jewel of last year’s free agent class — center Corey Linsley — leads the pack while second-year stud Rashawn Slater follows him as the next best lineman on the team.

To make this nice and neat, I’ll break down the team’s perceived starting five with the game while adding in a few other names at the end.

Let’s get into it.

Corey Linsley - 91 overall

Linsley paces the entire position not just on the Chargers, but the entire NFL, as well. His overall rating tops all centers and he’s one of the strongest offensive linemen in the game with a strength rating of 92. With an 88 rating in run blocking and 92 in pass protection, Linsley will be one of the best and most balanced lineman in the entire game.

Rashawn Slater - 84 overall

Similar to Herbert, it took Slater just one season in the NFL to earn a grade in the mid-80s. A Second-Team All-Pro as a rookie, Slater still managed to be just the 27th-ranked offensive lineman in the game. Across all tackles, he’s rated 16th. When you shrink the group down some more to just left tackles, he comes in tied for seventh.

Overall, he sees a higher mark in run blocking with a 93 while his pass blocking is falls a bit behind at 85. It’s still a good number, but I would have certainly believed his pass protection to be closer to 90 with the way he shut down numerous notable pass rushers that weren’t named Myles Garrett. And heck, even in that game, his sacks allowed were not squarely on him.

Matt Feiler - 78 overall

Part of me feels like this grade for Feiler is a bit low. He’s always been underrated and while he’s not the flashiest guy at an already-unflashy position, he simply gets his job done rarely makes mistakes.

In Madden, Feiler gives the run game a boost with his 81 run blocking rating and 91 strength. His pass block rating of 73 leaves much to be desired which is a big reason why I believe he’s still underrated, but you can win them all.

Zion Johnson - 73 overall

The Chargers’ first-round rookie enters his first professional season with a respectable overall grade that ties him for the fourth-highest rated rookie offensive lineman. Only Evan Nea (77), Ikem Ekwonu (76), and Tyler Linderbaum (74) have higher ratings while Johnson is tied with Charles Cross with a 73.

Johnson starts with a 90 in strength which is to be expected after seeing him on the field with those two pythons he’s smuggling under each arm. His run and pass block ratings are fairly balanced at 73 and 75, respectively, but it’s only a matter of time before we see those go up throughout this season.

Trey Pipkins - 63 overall

When you crack open the newest Madden and begin your first game with the Chargers, Pipkins will be the team’s starting right due to being the “better” option over Storm Norton. Pipkins’ rating of 63 is absolutely horrendous but it’s still better than Norton’s 60. If you want, you could even place rookie Jamaree Salyer at right tackle since he’s actually rated higher.

Overall, Pipkins is fairly balanced with a 69 in run blocking and a 68 in pass blocking.

Jamaree Salyer - 65

As mentioned above, Salyer has a path to starting for the virtual Chargers if you want to maximize the unit’s average overall rating. His 65 is a couple points higher than Pipkins’ 63, but it all depends on your style of offense. Pipkins is the better pass protector (68 vs. 64) while Salyer is the better run blocker (69 vs. 73). So the way you want to dominate your opponent will certainly determine which player you want rounding out your front five.

Storm Norton - 60

Norton unsurprisingly is one of the worst-rated lineman on the team and should be sniffing the field in 2022, either on Madden or in real life. His 58 in pass blocking is the lowest on the entire team while his 69 in run blocking matches Pipkins.