Love it, hate it, or feel indifferent, the arrival of each year’s Madden installment is a sign that football season is almost upon us.

Ahead of Madden 26’s full arrival on Aug. 14, EA has officially released the initial player ratings for those in the game.

Do ratings matter? Not really, unless you’re buying the game. But NFL players understandably care about how they’re presented in the video game, and the player ratings occasionally pop up in the news when it comes to actual teams’ decision-making processes.

Ravens general manager Eric Decosta said in February that Baltimore’s front office takes Madden ratings into account in one of their statistical models, while Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly vetoed a trade for Jerry Jeudy last year because the former Broncos’ receiver wasn’t rated high enough.

The Madden team updates player ratings throughout the season. The highest possible rating is a 99.

Here are the overalls for the top contributors currently on the Steelers roster. You can view every player on the team’s current rating here.

Offense

QB Aaron Rodgers: 76
RB Kaleb Johnson: 75
RB Jaylen Warren: 80
WR D.K. Metcalf: 85
WR Calvin Austin III: 75
WR Roman Wilson: 70
WR Robert Woods: 75
TE Pat Freiermuth: 84
TE Jonnu Smith: 81
TE Darnell Washington: 76
OT Broderick Jones: 72
G Isaac Seumalo: 80
C Zach Frazier: 84
G Mason McCormick: 74
OT Troy Fautanu: 77

Defense

OLB T.J. Watt: 96 (X factor)
DL Keeanu Benton: 76
DL Derrick Harmon: 77
DL Cam Heyward: 94 (X factor)
OLB Alex Highsmith: 88
OLB Nick Herbig: 74
LB Patrick Queen: 82
LB Payton Wilson: 76
LB Malik Harrison: 73
CB Jalen Ramsey: 94 (X factor)
CB Joey Porter Jr.: 80
CB Brandin Echols: 71
CB Darius Slay: 84
S DeShon Elliott: 82
S Juan Thornhill: 76

Special teams

K Chris Boswell: 85
P Cam Johnston: 75
LS Christian Kuntz: 62

Notes and takeaways:

This the first Madden with long snappers as an official position in quite some time. However, Christian Kuntz comes in as the 27th-best in the game.
The Steelers have the top defense in the game with a 91 overall. They have the ninth-highest team overall at 86. The Ravens are the top-rated team in the game with a 93 overall.
Chris Boswell surprisingly missed a 90-plus rating, coming in as an 85 overall and the second-best kicker in the game behind the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey (87).
Cam Heyward comes in as the fourth-best defensive lineman in the game. T.J. Watt is tied as the third-best edge rusher with Maxx Crosby behind Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, who start the game as 98 and 99 overalls, respectively. Jalen Ramsey is tied as the third-best cornerback with Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie.
While no Steelers offensive players appear in their respective positions’ top 10, sorting by individual offensive line positions instead reveals Zach Frazier as the fifth-best center and Isaac Seumalo as the eight-best left guard.
Former Steeler Minkah Fitzpatrick is tied as the fourth-best safety in the game with a 92 overall.
The Steelers’ rookie class ratings are as follows: Derrick Harmon (77), Kaleb Johnson (75), Jack Sawyer (72), Yahya Black (67), Will Howard (64), Carson Bruener (64), and Donte Kent (68).
The fastest Steeler in the game is Calvin Austin III with 95-rated speed.
Linebacker Cole Holcomb and safety Chuck Clark are currently the highest-rated Steelers currently buried on the depth chart (78 and 77 overall, respectively).
Corliss Waitman and Cam Johnston both have the same rating to start the game. The EA Sports team is apparently expecting a close camp battle at the punter position.
Center Ryan McCollum is currently the lowest-rated player on the team at a 53 overall. In real life, his chances at making the team’s final roster are significantly higher.