'Fantastic' Jessie Bates is 'Very Good Piece to Start' in Falcons Defense's New Era

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is a foundational asset for defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who's trying to bring a new identity to Atlanta's secondary.

When Atlanta Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood was introduced to reporters for the first time Thursday, he was 10 minutes removed from a similarly introductive phone call.

It was his first conversation with safety Jessie Bates III, the Falcons' second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl safety.

Hood spent the past three years in as a defensive quality control with the Green Bay Packers. He's hoping to spend the next several working with Bates - and despite being just three days into his new job, already knows what his future entails.

“You talk about a phenomenal player, being a pro,” Hood said. “The guys that are in that room and the leadership that he brings, what (cornerback A.J. Terrell is) able to do, I mean those guys are extremely competitive and I'm looking forward to working with them.”

The conversation with Bates was the first thing to come to mind when Hood was asked what he likes about the group he's inheriting.

And really, it's easy to see why - Atlanta's secondary starts with Bates.

Sep 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) celebrates after a victory against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Given a four-year, $64 million contract that made him the fourth highest-paid safety in NFL history, Bates provided, as former head coach Arthur Smith said, a return on investment.

Atlanta's defense played 1,139 snaps last season. Bates was on the field for 1,133. He missed just one snap over the final 16 games.

He converted playing time to production, setting career highs with six interceptions, 132 tackles, 89 solo tackles and three forced fumbles while matching his previous career high with three tackles for loss.

Bates finished second among safeties in tackles, trailing only the Minnesota Vikings' Cameron Bynum, who had 137. Similarly, Bates ranked third in the league in interceptions and second among safeties, coming one pick short of the Baltimore Ravens' Geno Stone.

The Falcons had eight interceptions as a team. Bates had all but two of them.

Jimmy Lake, Atlanta's new defensive coordinator, plans on bringing a ball-hawking mentality to a unit that's recorded just 18 interceptions over the past two years - and Bates is at the forefront of Lake's vision.

“What a fantastic football player,” Lake said. “One of our main goals is to score and get the ball back. We’re going to try to get that ball and we’re going to try to go score. You can see the ball skills that Jessie has are really top in the league.”

Lake, who played defensive back in college and spent nearly two decades as a secondary coach at various levels, specializes on the defense's back end.

The Falcons have a coaching staff full of former defensive back coaches, as Lake, head coach Raheem Morris and assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray will all contribute to the group Hood's in charge of leading.

When Lake first began looking at film of Atlanta's defense from last season, he texted Morris with an early takeaway.

"These DBs are coached up," the message said.

Lake gave considerable credit to Gray, one of several holdovers from the previous staff now helping ease the transition for Morris, Lake, Hood and many other new arrivals.

Gray had a front row seat to Bates' career year last fall - a season that started with Bates being in the front row for Gray's lessons.

The 26-year-old Bates isn't just the first one in the meeting rooms, but he's also organizing players-only meetings for the defensive backs each Tuesday throughout the year.

Tuesdays are supposed to be off days. It's a day Bates views as an opportunity to get ahead of the competition.

Bates, led by his preparation and professionalism, reached a new level in 2023. For Atlanta's defense to do similar things next season, Bates has to repeat his production - while helping bring the rest of the secondary along with him.

“I thought Jessie took a big step for us last year, the whole season,” Gray said. “Everyone is going to have to take a step up, and Jessie's going to have to maintain what he did last year for us to get to where we've got to go.”

Atlanta's defense significantly improved under Ryan Nielsen last season, ranking top-10 in scoring for much of the campaign before a late-season collapse.

But Nielsen's unit ranked No. 29 league-wide in takeaways and allowed go-ahead scores inside of the final minute on four separate occasions.

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Lake's base 3-4 defense will be fast, free-flowing and physical, he said, with intents on being simple for his players but complex for opposing offenses.

But most importantly, Lake wants to generate turnovers. There were few better than Bates in that category a season ago, and Lake feels he's inheriting a strong foundation to build from as a result of Bates' presence.

“We want to make sure we get that ball back for our offense, whether that’s through a fumble, an interception, stopping guys on four downs or going three-and-out,” Lake said. “So, Jessie Bates is a very good piece to start with.”