Madden NFL 21 users who are also Pittsburgh Steelers fans that focus on playing the franchise mode have a new player on the digital team's roster. Joe Haeg, a fifth-year offensive lineman who last played for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reportedly signed with the Steelers over the weekend and will be a member of its roster in Madden NFL 22.
Haeg will most likely continue the role he served with the Bucs on his new team. His in-game rating shows a player that certainly isn't going to be a Pro Bowler in Madden NFL 22, but he's serviceable enough. He's an offensive lineman who has a history of getting solid playing time, though Haeg isn't often a full-time starter.
It's hard to predict whether or not the newest member of the Steelers' rating will change much from last year's roster to this year's installment of the long-running series. Madden NFL 21 got its latest roster update fairly recently. Haeg's rating has been rather consistent throughout the year. The offensive lineman has an overall rating of 61. That rating isn't anywhere near the top of the best-rated offensive linemen, though he's also not at the bottom of the list.
If Madden NFL 21 users want to mirror the real NFL, it looks like Haeg will most often serve time as the third tackle in the jumbo package. This past year, when playing that position he boasted a run blocking rating of 63 and a pass blocking rating of 67. Somewhat newsworthy is that he only has a receiving rating of 26.
Anyone who follows football knows guys like Haeg are rarely called on to haul in receptions. However, this offensive tackle stands out because the Bucs attempted to use him in a trick play during the Super Bowl in the Endzone. Quarterback Tom Brady threw Haeg a pass that was meant to be a touchdown, but the offensive lineman couldn't haul it in. The Bucs won the NFL championship anyway. That win proved the Madden NFL 21 prediction wrong, as the game believed the Kansas City Chiefs would win 37-27.
In the real world, Haeg appeared in 12 games and started three during his only season with Tampa Bay. Before joining the eventual Super Bowl champions, he had spent his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts. His first two years in the league, he was mostly a starter, though eventually transitioned into that third tackle position he's spent most of his time with most recently.
Madden NFL 21 is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S