If there was a "Player of the Year" award being handed out for the Atlanta Falcons, Jessie Bates III would be one of the first names that comes to mind as a potential candidate.
Bates, one of their prized free-agent signings of the past offseason, has provided an instant impact for the Falcons' defense both on and off the field, which has him in contention for the NFL's All-Pro honors.
“What doesn’t? I mean, the guy does everything. It’s a good question," Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said about what makes Bates worthy of the honors. "It really is because when you try to poke holes in his game, there really – what does he not do well? That’s the thing."
The 26-year-old safety is in the midst of a career year, as he's totaled 117 tackles, three forced fumbles, and six interceptions in 15 games.
Not only has Bates been a playmaker on the backend of a Falcons secondary that struggled a year ago. But he's also provided veteran leadership while playing alongside younger teammates like DeMarcco Hellams and Richie Grant.
However, despite the Falcons giving the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon a big four-year $64 million contract this offseason in free agency, which made him the fourth-highest-paid safety in his league, his performance has, at the very least, lived up to the expectation of his deal.
“I don’t know if there were any expectations. ... I don’t think it’s fair to say, ‘Hey, we expected him to have five interceptions,’ or any of the guys. What did we know? Very good ball skills, solid open-field tackler. What I didn’t know was the leadership and the things that you – you kind of try to talk to some people about the guy and everything. Now, that has exceeded what I ever had thought about the type of player that we would get in here. It’s the intangibles.”
Bates and the Falcons will be back in action on Sunday as they travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Kickoff inside Soldier Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
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