5 Best Teams to Rebuild in Madden 18 Franchise Mode

One of the best features in the Madden series has been the famous ‘Franchise Mode’. It’s a place where the fans get to take over and become their favorite teams NFL GM or Owner. The user is in control of the roster, practice squad, depth chart and much more. They even allow you to relocate your team to a brand new market if you’d like.

Madden’s franchise mode has been expanding and getting better it seems like every year. A lot of users enjoy playing with their favorite team but sometimes players like to take a different approach. They want to test their GM abilities to see if they can turn a franchise around and create lasting success.

Madden allows you to do this by giving you the opportunity to load up on draft picks, take control of your salary cap and make trades with other rosters. Being a general manager is no joke and is a lot of work but do you have what it takes to go from the bottom to the top?

Let’s take a look at the top 5 teams to rebuild with in Madden 18.

5. Chicago Bears

Notable free agent acquisitions: CB Prince Amukumara, QB Mike Glennon, WR Kendall Wright and CB Marcus Cooper.

2017 draft class: QB Mitchell Trubisky, TE Adam Shaheen, S Eddie Jackson, RB Tarik Cohen and OG Jordan Cohen.

The Bears finished 3-13 last year and were obviously not a good football team. Although, on Madden, they might be a fun team to rebuild with. Last year they selected RB Jordan Howard in the fifth round of the NFL draft and he finished second amongst rookie RB’s with over 1600 all purpose yards and seven touchdowns.

The Bears also saw some promise out of their first-round pick OLB Leonard Floyd and second-round pick G Cody Whitehair. Not to mention, in 2017 the Bears traded up one spot to the No.2 overall to select the QB out of UNC, Mitchell Trubisky.

Even if Trubisky doesn’t pan out the first year or so, they do have Mike Glennon, so there are some options at the quarterback position.They also have WR Kevin White who has not been on the field that much but was a proven deep threat at the college level.

The additions they made in free agency may not stick out right away but they provide the roster with veteran depth and leadership.

The roster needs a lot of work in order to contend but one of the most important pieces to their franchise will be QB Mitchell Trubisky. He will provide young talent and be relatively cheap for four or five years, which will help users build more through the draft and free agency.

4. Los Angeles Chargers

Notable free agent signings: OT Russel Okung, NT Damion Square and WR Geremy Davis.

2017 draft class: WR Mike Williams, OG Forrest Lamp, OG Dan Feeny, S Rayshawn Jenkins, S Desmond King, OT Sam Tevi, DE Issac Rochell.

The Chargers have a lot to be excited about and they might be one of the easier teams to bring to contention in Madden 18. The team finished 5-11 and plays in one of the tougher divisions in football which is why I thought to include them on this list.

Some of the biggest problems with the Chargers last season were injuries and the offensive line. They thoroughly addressed the OL in the offseason adding guys like Okung, Lamp and Feeny.

On offense, they still have a very valuable but much older QB in Phillip Rivers but have young talent like Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen and newly added weapon Mike Williams. That alone should provide them with quality starters on the offensive side of the ball.

Last year they were able to go out and draft DE Joey Bosa, who won DROY, and should continue to grow as a player. He showed every sign of being an elite player at the next level. Not to mention, their cornerbacks in Jason Verret and Casey Hayward, both young guys who can provide elite talent.

The Chargers are not all there yet but have some promising young cornerstone pieces that will make a rebuild faster but still enjoyable. They will need to address the quarterback position soon which could provide trouble for a user trying to take them to a championship.

3. Los Angeles Rams

Notable free agent additions: DB Nickell Robey-Coleman, DB Kayvon Webster, C John Sullivan.

2017 draft class: TE Gerald Everett, WR Cooper Kupp, S Josh Johnson, WR Josh Reynolds, OLB Samson Ebukam, DT Tanzel Smart, FB Sam Rogers and OLB Ejuan Price.

The Rams were close to terrible in 2017 where they finished with a 4-12 record but they provided quality additions in the offseason. First starting with new HC Sean McVay and DC Wade Phillips on the coaching side of the game which will effect their Madden playbook.

Looking at this roster alone they have Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Jared Goff. All are very young and will be on this Rams roster for a long time. Donald is the only one I would consider “elite” status but Gurley has shown signs of promise even though he did struggle in his sophomore campaign. Goff struggled at times but was still the first overall pick in 2016 and deserves some time to grow into the professional level.

But, having a young core of players like that makes them a team that would be fun to rebuild with. They may not win immediately but if groomed correctly can be an exciting team down the line.

2. San Fransisco 49ers

Notable free agent additions: QB Brian Hoyer, WR Pierre Garçon, LB Malcolm Smith, RB Tim Hightower and QB Matt Barkley.

2017 draft class: DL Solomon Thomas, LB Reuben Foster, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, QB C.J. Beathard, RB Joe Williams, TE George Kittle, WR Trent Taylor, DT D.J. Jones, DE Pita Taumoepenu and S Adrian Colbert

The 49ers finished 2-14 last year and aren’t close to contending but have some interesting pieces that may make this team fun to rebuild with. They were able to hire new head coach, Kyle Shanahan, and new general manager, John Lynch, which does make them appealing.

What makes this team one that would be good to rebuild with is actually the draft that they had this year starting with Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster. Both figure to start and contribute immediately on the defense. Not to mention, they were able to select DeForest Buckner last year in the first round. That could potentially be some young elite talent that would be cheap for a couple years.

This team does have a lot of work to do though in regards to the fact that they do not have a proven QB on the roster, not to mention a young one. They are also weak at the OL and WR spots.

The 49ers will be a good team to rebuild with in Madden because it will be a challenge. It will take time to build this roster to championship caliber but they do have some young intriguing talent with Thomas, Foster and Buckner.

1. Cleveland Browns

Notable offseason additions: G Joel Bitonio, QB Brock Osweiler, WR Kenny Britt, OL J.C. Tretter and OL Kevin Zeitler.

2017 draft class: DE Myles Garrett, S/LB Jabrill Peppers, TE David Njoku, QB DeShone Kizer, DT Larry Ogunjobi, CB Howard Wilson, OT Roderick Johnson, DT Caleb Brantley, PK Zane Gonzalez and RB Matthew Dayes.

The Browns have been one of the laughing stocks of the NFL for quite some time now but with the offseason that they had, they might be one of the best and most fun to rebuild with. In free agency, they really beefed up on the offensive line and really got some veteran talent their while adding a stud WR in Kenny Britt.

Also they had a very well rounded draft class, Garret, Peppers and Njoku were all first rounders and highly sought after. QB DeShone Kizer is considered a project by many but may be able to suffice as the QB of the future.

Although they did finish 1-15, they do have some young talent on this roster. Last year they were able to select WR Corey Coleman in the first round who is very fast. They traded for second team all-pro LB Jamie Collins who they then re-signed this offseason.

Another thing that this team has is draft capital something which is very important in building a dynasty in Madden. In 2018, the Browns have two first-round picks (their own and the Houston Texans) and then three second-round picks (their own, Houston Texans and Philidelphia Eagles).

Overall, this team has some holes and are not there completely. But with the offseason they had and the draft they had, the Browns are one of the more fun teams in the game to rebuild with. How cool would it be to say that you took the Browns to the super bowl?

Madden’s franchise mode is one of the many reasons why a lot of people buy this game. Players want to build and control either their favorite team or take on a rebuild project like some of these mentioned. The online feature even allows you to do it with friends in a league. It is important to go about building a dynasty the right way, even in Madden. Considering free agency and the NFL draft, these are some of the franchises with cornerstone pieces that you can rebuild and bring to the promise land.