Atlanta Falcons Star Jessie Bates Named Top-3 Safety in NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the NFL's best safeties in Jessie Bates III.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III drew high praise from NFL coaches and executives. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Last offseason, the Atlanta Falcons made Jessie Bates III the fourth highest-paid safety in NFL history with a four-year deal worth just over $64 million.

Bates delivered, leading the Falcons in tackles with 132 while recording six of the team's eight interceptions. He also had three forced fumbles, a trio of tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 11 passes defended.

After seeing Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign a four-year, $84.1- million contract in the offseason, Bates feels like a bargain after his first season in Atlanta.

Among defensive backs league-wide, Bates trailed only Minnesota Vikings standout Camryn Bynum (137) in tackles, while his six interceptions were the third-most.

As a result, Bates earned his first career Pro Bowl appearance while being named second-team All-Pro for the second time in his six-year career - and the rest of the NFL is taking notice.

In an anonymous poll of NFL coaches and executives, Bates was ranked as the league's No. 3 safety, trailing only Winfield Jr. and the Baltimore Ravens' Kyle Hamilton.

"What he does well is dislodging the ball - not just interceptions but disrupting what should be completions," an AFC executive told ESPN about Bates. "He's been one of the more consistent safeties in the league for a long time now."

Bates received votes as high as No. 1 and as low as No. 6, where he was placed the last two seasons before making a leap up the polls this summer.

The 27-year-old Bates is surrounded by a plethora of new faces on the coaching side, with head coach Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and secondary coach Justin Hood all arriving this spring.

Assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray, who spends much of his time with the secondary, is back for 2024, but the rest of Bates' closest voices are fresh.

Last year, Bates had no problem adjusting to a new scheme. He has to do the same this year - and Lake is confident he will.

"What a fantastic football player," Lake said this spring. "You can see the ball skills that Jessie has are really top in the league."

Evidently, from his ball skills to his vast array of traits, Bates is among the top in the league - at No. 3, with another opportunity looming this fall to climb two places higher.