Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick Lead Top 10 Safeties in Madden NFL 24 Player Ratings

Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers leads the way in terms of overall ratings for safeties in the upcoming Madden NFL 24 video game.

Madden tweeted a list of the 10 highest-rated safeties in the game Monday, and James was all alone at the top with a rating of 95 overall:

James is followed by Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Pittsburgh Steelers (93), Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos and Kevin Byard of the Tennessee Titans (92) Jessie Bates III of the Atlanta Falcons and Tyrann Mathieu of the New Orleans Saints (91), Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals, Harrison Smith of the Minnesota Vikings and Jordan Poyer of the Buffalo Bills (90), and Poyer's Bills teammate in Micah Hyde (89).

James, who will turn 27 on Aug. 3, is coming off arguably the best statistical season of his career.

The former Florida State standout missed three games due to injury, but still managed to register 115 tackles, two interceptions, six passes defended, two forced fumbles and a career-high four sacks.

James was named a Pro Bowler for the third time in his four NFL seasons, plus he garnered second-team All-Pro honors.

In 2018, he burst onto the scene as a rookie with 105 tackles, three picks and 3.5 sacks, resulting in Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections. Staying healthy has been a challenge since then, but he has been dominant when on the field.

James missed all but five games in 2019 and the entire 2020 season due to a knee injury, but he bounced back with two consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns in 2021 and 2022.

Not far behind James in the ratings is Fitzpatrick, who like James was a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

While James went 17th overall to the Chargers, the Miami Dolphins took Fitzpatrick 11th overall, although they traded him to Pittsburgh during his second season.

That move has paid big dividends for Fitzpatrick, who has been named top three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro first teams in four seasons with the Steelers.

Last season, Fitzpatrick set a new career high and led the NFL with six interceptions, plus he racked up 96 tackles and a career-high 11 passes defended.

Football fans and gamers alike will have their opportunity to play as James, Fitzpatrick and others when Madden NFL 24 is officially released on Aug. 15.