Falcons' Jessie Bates Ranked Among Top 5 Safeties at PFF

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is getting the recognition he deserves.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) runs after intercepting a pass. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It cost the Atlanta Falcons more than $64 million to sign safety Jessie Bates III in NFL free agency last offseason. But he’s been worth every penny.

Despite a successful stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, Bates received little attention during his first five years in the league. But in 2023, he was recognized as one of the best safeties in the league, earning his first Pro Bowl nomination and first-team All-Pro by the NFL Players Association. 

On June 3, Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday ranked Bates the No. 3 safety in the NFL.

“Arguably the best free-agent addition of the 2023 offseason, Bates returned to his 2020 form in his first season in Atlanta,” Buday wrote. “He earned a career-high 90.6 PFF overall grade, surpassing his 2020 mark of 90.1.

“Bates' six interceptions ranked second among safeties in 2023, and he was the only player at the position to place in the top three in both run-defense and coverage grades.”

The only safeties Buday ranked ahead of Bates were Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. and Baltimore Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton.

During his first season with the Falcons, Bates recorded a career-high 132 combined tackles and 6 interceptions. He also had 11 pass defenses and 3 forced fumbles.

Bates made second-team All-Pro for the first time in his career with the Bengals in 2020. He registered 109 combined tackles, 3 interceptions and 15 pass defenses that season. But in both 2021 and 2022, Bates failed to post more than 88 combined tackles for 8 pass defenses.

He was much more visible with the black and red last fall, which is exactly what the Falcons needed. 

In his Atlanta debut, Bates had 2 interceptions and a team-high 10 combined tackles in a 24-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 12, he returned an interception for a touchdown during a 24-15 win versus the New Orleans Saints.

With Bates, the Falcons have more than solidified the back end of their defense. If the unit can be better at pressuring quarterbacks with their mid-round rookies and get a little bit better coverage from A.J. Terrell and the cornerback room, then Atlanta will be another step closer to having a championship caliber defense in 2024.