Jessie Bates III, Justin Simmons – Do the Falcons Have Best Safety Tandem in NFL?

With the addition of Justin Simmons, the Atlanta Falcons secondary looks frightening to opposing quarterbacks.

Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons make up arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons. / via IMAGN

The Atlanta Falcons have transformed their defense in the past week by adding outside linebacker Matt Judon and safety Justin Simmons. Both players are Pro Bowl caliber, and both player have the ability to erase deficiencies or mistakes across the rest of the defense.

Judon has the ability to end offensive play by getting to the quarterback. Judon is hoping to provide a game-changing edge presence the Falcons haven't had for years, while Simmons looks to turn a strength into a superpower.

Considering that the Falcons already have All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III on their roster, adding Simmons as his partner on the defense's back end can only improve the team’s fortunes on that side of the football. Most recently, NFL analyst Mina Kimes weighed in on Atlanta’s safety group as one of the ‘better’ ones in the NFL.

“With the addition of Justin Simmons, the Falcons doubled down on what was already of strength - their safety group. One of the things they did last year with the defense that I loved was the weaponizing of Jessie Bates III," Kimes said. "Part of the reason why he was able to get so many interceptions was that quarterbacks didn’t see him coming.  They used disguise coverage at the seventh highest rate of football and now you add Simmons's versatility, experience, and football IQ you can do that even more with dime coverage looks. This defense didn’t really have an identity, and now I feel like it does because they have one of the best safety groups in the NFL.”

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The question is, what does the Falcons' new safety bring to the table?

The Falcons' new safety is a jack of all trades, but one trait stands out.

Justin Simmons has logged 7,124 defensive snaps in his eight-year NFL career. As a former third-round draft pick in 2016, he was the heart of the Denver Broncos defense because of his ability to do many things at a high level. From being an excellent run defender in the box to having 30 interceptions and five career PBUs, he was Denver’s Swiss army knife, being able to be aligned anywhere pre-snap. The bottom line is this: Simmons is a turnover-forcing machine.

.@jsimms1119 channeling his inner @PeanutTillman 😳

📺: #LACvsDEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/TQNxFDPAzj pic.twitter.com/1HJhOExfc4

— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2023

The two can have a special year between him and Bates III, considering that they accounted for 14 combined turnovers last season. Opposing quarterbacks will have a tough time fooling two Pro Bowl-caliber safeties who bring above-average football IQs. For the rest of the defense, the backend duo may be what the defense needs to make quarterbacks hesitate to hold onto the ball just a half-second longer for the pass rush to get home between Judon and Grady Jarrett. 

Above all, compared to the rest of the NFL, Raheem Morris’ team boasts one of—if not the best—safety groups in the league, and soon enough, the league will feel their impact.