Jessie Bates Will 'Absolutely' Be Ready for Bengals' Opener Against Steelers

The 25-year-old discussed his return on Wednesday.

CINCINNATI —  Jessie Bates is back. 

The Bengals' safety left no doubt that he'll be ready for the Bengals' regular season opener against the Steelers. 

"Absolutely," he said without hesitation. "It's been great. It's a blessing to be back."

Bates won't participate in practice this week, but he'll do some individual work and conditioning. The team will likely activate him from the exempt list next week so he can start practicing with the team. 

A lot of thoughts went through Bates' mind this offseason, especially after the team took two safeties in the draft, but he never seriously considered sitting out. 

"I think I love this game too much to sit out a whole year," Bates said. 

The 25-year-old has the right mindset going into the biggest season of his career. 

"I think I can go out there right now and play," Bates said. "I'm looking at this as an opportunity to prove why I'm one of the best safeties in the league."

Bates will make $12.91 million on the franchise tag this season. He's set to become a free agent next March.

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