The NFL has turned into the ultimate passing league and one way that some of the top offenses in the league manipulate coverage and matchups is by attacking via the slot receiver.

Guys like Tyreek Hill, Adam Thielen, Keenan Allen, Julian Edelman, Cooper Kupp, and Larry Fitzgerald make a living at dominating mismatches in the slot against outmatched cornerbacks and safeties alike.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 Rankings

The remedy for the top NFL defenses lies with the slot or nickel cornerback, a guy capable of translating that outside cornerback production inside where there’s less room to utilize and less margin for error.

1. Nov 17, 2019 THE BEST CORNERBACKS IN MUT 20! Madden 20 Ultimate Team The Cornerbacks in Madden NFL 20 Ultimate Team Revealed! Become a GmiasWorld Member to get all my emotes and exclusive privileges including.
2. Most teams now play in nickel defenses more frequently than their base defense, meaning many third cornerbacks are actually starters. That leaves 96 starting cornerbacks to consider in a top-20 list.

Slot usually doesn't press and usually is more involved in the run game because he's closer to the snap. I haven't looked at their stats but generally the one with the best tackling and block shedding which I'd guess is Rod.

Doug Farrar and Touchdown Wire recently ranked the top-11 slot cornerbacks in the NFL and new Eagles defender, Nickell Robey-Coleman landed high on the list at No. 6.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 Free Agents

Though he’s primarily known as the instigator on one of the most infamous non-calls in recent NFL history, Robey-Coleman has been one of the league’s better slot defenders for a while now — he’s one of just three-slot defenders (along with Chris Harris Jr. and Mackensie Alexander) to make this list in both 2019 and 2020. Last season, Robey-Coleman allowed 32 catches on 52 targets for 272 yards, 144 yards after the catch, one touchdown, and an opponent passer rating of 80.1.

Last season with the LA Rams, Robey-Coleman only allowed a passer rating of 80.1 — good for 13th among all CBs– and was sixth in yards per slot coverage snap (0.63), according to Pro Football Focus.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 Predictions

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 All Time

The move greatly improves the Eagles secondary tremendously and he should combine with Darius Slay to help the Birds have one of the secondary’s in the NFL.

Even a decade ago, your average slot defender was just that — average. A smaller guy without the speed to take outside receivers up the post routes and down the sideline. But as NFL offenses have defaulted to three- and four-receiver sets, the nickel and dime defender has not only become a de facto starter, but also as important as any other defensive back on the field.

Imagine you’re a slot cornerback in today’s NFL. One week, you have to deal with Minnesota’s Adam Thielen and his array of precise routes — not to mention his ability to streak downfield for a huge play if you make any hint of a mistake. The next week, you’re up against the Eagles’ Zach Ertz, getting bodied out by a 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end in devilish route combinations. The next week, you may have to face Antonio Brown in a week when his coaches decide to make him a primary slot receiver. Good luck with that.

But hey, at least Rob Gronkowski retired, so that’s one slot nightmare out of the way.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 Wide

The point is, slot defenders are tested in new and vicious ways in the modern league, and their skill sets to defend speed, option routes and increased uses of receiver space are unique. Most great outside cornerbacks want to stay outside for those exact reasons. As Richard Sherman once told me, the boundary is your friend, and if you have open space on both sides of your coverage, it isn’t a lot of fun.

So, here are the best slot defenders in the business coming into the 2019 season, and what makes each one of them special.

Best Slot Cornerbacks Madden 20 Players

Losing Bryce Callahan to the Broncos in free agency was a blow for Chicago’s defense, but it would have been far worse had McManis not established himself as an estimable slot cornerback in his own right. The 31-year-old veteran doesn’t have top-end speed, but he understands defensive spacing and placement — he’s one of those guys who always seems to be around the ball. In 2018, McManis allowed just 12 receptions on 22 slot targets for 80 yards, 42 yards after the catch, no touchdowns and an opponent passer rating of 62.7. You want to see a larger sample size of targets before moving him up this list, but 2018 was a step in the right direction.