While Madden NFL 22 hasn't been announced yet, it's the surest of bets that it's coming at some point this year. In fact, if past history is any indication, a Madden NFL 22 announcement could come any day now. When the official reveal does arrive, that reveal will also almost surely unveil this year's cover athlete. In fact, one of the things that have some in the gaming community anxious about the reveal is that there have only been a few rumblings about who the cover athlete might be. Those rumblings pointed towards Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
Unfortunately, Henry being on the cover of Madden NFL 22 is still just a rumor. After supposed images of the back made the rounds on the internet, EA Sports remained silent. The fact of the matter at this point, is that if Henry isn't "the guy," then it can be argued that Electronic Arts made a mistake. There are several different reasons why one of the best rushers in the game is the no-brainer choice for the honor.
It's Time
When looking at whether or not Derrick Henry is, or should be the choice, a very interesting factoid pops up. It's been eight years since a running back graced the cover of a Madden NFL game. Considering how important a role the running back position plays in the league, that seems like a disproportionate length of time. Quarterback has long been the most popular position of choice. and it's gotten even more popular in the last few years. A signal-caller has made the cover three of the last four years. Lamar Jackson was on Madden NFL 21 and Patrick Mahomes directly preceded him. Antonio Brown was named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 19 and Tom Brady came the year before him.
The last time a running back appeared on the cover was when Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson were both Madden NFL 25 cover athletes. Interestingly, that year was also a year that saw a changing of the guard in console generations. Sanders appeared on the Xbox 360 and PS3 version, while Peterson was on the PS4 and Xbox One version. Since EA has gone this long without featuring a running back, the year where the gaming community makes the jump from Xbox One and PS4 to Xbox Series X/S and the PS5 is the right time to pull the trigger.
Derrick Henry Is Unsung But Among The Best
Henry is still relatively young, which might be one reason he doesn't get as much fanfare as some of his counterparts. He's also only been the full-time starter since 2018 after splitting time his first two years. He's been plenty durable too, as over his five seasons, he's missed exactly one game. That particular detail might be important considering the number of players that have fallen victim to the Madden Cover Curse. And quite frankly, he's gotten better every single season he's played. The last two seasons, he's led the NFL in carries, yards, and touchdowns. He also became just the seventh player to amass 2,000 yards in a season, as well as the first since 2012. The last back before Henry to pull off that feat? Adrian Peterson. There's symmetry all over this rumored choice.
Most of the fanbase has made it clear that Madden NFL 22 needs to get several things right. Getting the choice of cover athletes right isn't going to affect how good the game is when it launches, but getting the cover star right would be a good first, symbolic step.
Madden NFL 22 has not been announced yet.