Falcons 'Big Addition' Jessie Bates III Praised by Arthur Smith

It's a new season for the Atlanta Falcons, and head coach Arthur Smith believes free agent signing safety Jessie Bates will play a significant role in fixing the team's secondary struggles.

The Atlanta Falcons organization may have added the next superstar to its roster when drafting running back Bijan Robinson. However, based on recent comments from head coach Arthur Smith, the most impactful offseason addition could be its signing of free agent safety Jessie Bates III.

“We like guys that play aggressive. Guys that want to attack. We don’t want to be passive. Jessie’s been a lot; he’s been a big addition. I think it’s helped, Richie [Grant],” Smith said on the Pat McAfee Show. “You know how that chemistry is in the DB room. It’s like any position group. You’ve gotta have the right guys, it’s gotta fit, and we feel good about where the scheme’s at and about who’s back there as well.”

After the Falcons secondary surrendered the eight-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks and tenth-most passing touchdowns, they were in desperate need of some improvements in their secondary, and they got that by stealing Bates from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency by offering him a four-year contract potentially worth more than $64 million. 

Bates’ contract is the fourth largest in the league at his position group, but none of that will matter to ownership so long as he produces on the field and helps elevate Atlanta’s secondary. If Bates and defense can limit opposing quarterbacks to playing average against them instead of getting dominated, this Falcons team which nearly town the NFC South in 2022, could take a step forward in 2023 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

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