With every new Madden NFL release comes a fresh set of teams to rebuild. Franchise players love taking teams that are near the bottom of the league and taking them to the Super Bowl. Madden NFL 25 has no shortage of teams looking for direction. Here are the most intriguing options you can use to build the next great NFL dynasty.
Chicago Bears
If you’ve been watching this year’s edition of Hard Knocks on HBO, you probably have the Chicago Bears at the top of your list of teams to rebuild as well. Of course, the main appeal of this team is 2024 #1 overall pick Caleb Williams. The former USC QB begins at a 76 OVR rating. Williams hopes to bring stability to a position that the Bears have struggled with since the departure of Jay Cutler.
Surrounding Williams is one of the best collections of talent at the skill positions in the entire league. D’Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert form a good running back committee out of the backfield. At receiver, the Bears traded for 6-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen and drafted former Washington receiver Rome Odunze with the 9th overall pick. The team also signed D.J. Moore to a 4-year, $110 million contract extension. Add to that 25-year old TE Cole Kmet, and you have one of the most formidable receiving corps in the NFL.
The place where the Bears are weak is in the trenches. On defense, they did trade for and extend former Commanders edge rusher Montez Sweat last year. Opposite him is 2024 fifth-round pick Austin Booker out of Kansas. You’ll either need to develop Booker, who starts out as a 69 OVR, or find someone else to rush the passer opposite Sweat.
On the offensive line, the only player above an 80 OVR is RG Teven Jenkins. You’ll need to draft and sign some guys up front to keep Williams safe. If you don’t, he could become the second coming of Andrew Luck. Take it from a Colts fan, you don’t want that.
New York Giants
The other team featured on Hard Knocks this year is the New York Football Giants. The big headline of the offseason for New York was the departure of star running back Saquon Barkley in free agency for division rival Philadelphia.
When looking at the Giants roster, you can see that this team is already in the midst of somewhat of a rebuild. There is young talent all over this roster. WR Malik Nabers, TE Theo Johnson, CB Andru Phillips, and FS Tyler Nubin all have Hidden dev traits to start off. Pass rushers Dexter Lawrence II, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux are all 26 years old or younger. The secondary is led by multiple emerging talents under 25 years old.
The main thing missing from this team is a QB. 27-year old Daniel Jones suffered an ACL injury which ended his 2023 season. Jones comes into Madden NFL 25 as only a 71 OVR. With all the young talent around the QB position, this team looks similar to how the Bears were before drafting Williams this year. If you are able to either draft, sign, or trade for that elite field general, you could be well on your way to another magical Giants Super Bowl run. However, Jones is owed over $40 million a year through 2026, so moving on from him could hurt your salary cap situation.
Denver Broncos
In the Mile High City, the Broncos are in the midst of one of the longest rebuilds in the league. Denver has not made the playoffs since their Super Bowl 50 win. Part of that is due to the revolving door of QBs that have come and gone from the franchise. This has included guys like Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Joe Flacco, Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum, and most recently Russell Wilson.
Now, the Broncos have 24-year old rookie Bo Nix under center. Though he starts out with a 72 OVR rating, his impressive play in the preseason could lead to him getting a ratings boost before the start of the NFL season. Unlike the other teams on this list, the Broncos actually have an impressive offensive line, with three players over an 80 OVR. However, there aren’t many great targets on offense for Nix to throw to. Many of the receivers on the team are nearing 30, outside of 22-year old Marvin Mims Jr. Finding elite pass catchers to help Nix out will need to be a priority early in your rebuild.
The main struggle for the Broncos is on defense. There is only one player on the defense above an 80 OVR, and this is star cornerback Patrick Surtain II who comes in at a 95 OVR. You’ll need to decide if you want to extend the young Surtain and build around him or use his high value to trade for players to fill the several holes on your defense.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are the lowest rated team in Madden NFL 25 at a 75 OVR. The highest rated player is SS Budda Baker at a 90 OVR. After Baker, there is a huge drop off to the next highest rated player, running back James Conner at an 83 OVR.
QB Kyler Murray is owed between $43-55 million a year through the 2028 season, so moving on from him isn’t really an option unless you want to be in salary cap hell. Murray is only a 77 OVR with Star development just a few years after being talked about as an MVP candidate.
Like most of the other teams on this list, the Cardinals need help along the line of scrimmage. On the offensive line, you have 23-year old LT Paris Johnson Jr. and 80 OVR RG Will Hernandez as some promising pieces. You’ll need to fill out the rest of the line to keep your incredibly expensive quarterback upright.
On defense, there isn’t much good to say about the front seven. There isn’t anyone on this roster that excels at rushing the passer or stopping the run. While the secondary has some young talent, you’ll need to focus mainly on your d-line and linebackers in the draft and free agency.
Washington Commanders
The last team on this list has been looking for that franchise QB since Kirk Cousins took his talents to Minnesota. The Commanders hope to have found that guy in Heisman Trophy winner and #2 overall pick Jayden Daniels. Daniels starts out as a 74 OVR and also has 90 speed. This makes him the fifth fastest QB in Madden NFL 25.
With the Commanders, there isn’t one particular area that is lacking any talent. There are plenty of weapons for Daniels to throw to, and the offensive line is good enough to keep him protected. There is talent spread throughout every level of the defense as well. The Commanders more so need to just develop the talent they have, while bringing in a few more veteran pieces to fill their remaining needs. While this may not be the most challenging rebuild, running around with Jayden Daniels like he is Mike Vick from Madden NFL 2004 should be tons of fun. Plus playing in a division with the Cowboys and Eagles should still provide enough of a challenge.
