Wikipedia

Jessie Bates

Jessie Bates III (born February 26, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Jessie Bates lll
refer to caption
Bates in 2023
No. 3 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1997-02-26) February 26, 1997 (age 27)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Snider (Fort Wayne)
College:Wake Forest (2015–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 2 / pick: 54
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2024
Total tackles:696
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:64
Interceptions:24
Defensive touchdowns:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Bates attended Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[1] Along with football, he also played basketball. He originally committed to play college football for the Toledo Rockets, but he flipped his commitment to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in February 2015.[2] Bates is the son of his single mother Theresa and has 6 siblings, his older sister Aaliyah, his younger brother Von and step-siblings Donavan, Nate, Kameron and Ariana.[3]

College career

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Bates did not play as a true freshman at Wake Forest in 2015 and chose to redshirt.[4]

As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Bates played in all 13 of Wake Forest's games. He returned 18 punts for 73 yards along with tallying five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 100 tackles (3.5 for loss), four pass deflections and one forced fumble.[5] After the season, he was named to the USA Today Freshman All-America Team,[6] the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Second-team,[7] and to the ACC All-Freshman First-team.[8]

In 2017, as a redshirt sophomore, Bates played in 11 of Wake Forest's 13 games, missing two due to injury.[9] In those 11 games, he returned eight punts for 161 yards and one touchdown along with recording 79 tackles (six for loss), five pass deflections and one forced fumble.[10] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[11]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On January 4, 2018, Bates announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.[12] He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the bench press. Bates performed well and finished third among safeties in the 60-yard shuttle, fourth among safeties in three-cone drill, and fifth among safeties in the short shuttle. He also earned the ninth best time among his position group in the 40-yard dash and had the tenth best vertical jump.[13]

External videos
  Jessie Bates' NFL Combine Workout

On March 13, 2018, Bates participated at Wake Forest's pro day and performed the bench press and short shuttle (4.25s). He attended pre-draft visits with multiple teams, including the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers.[14][15][16] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Bates was projected to a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the third best free safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com, the fourth best safety in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and was also ranked as the fifth best safety by Sports Illustrated.[17][18]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		200 lb
(91 kg) 		31+5⁄8 in
(0.80 m) 		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 4.50 s 1.56 s 2.63 s 4.25 s 6.78 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 12 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[19][20]

Cincinnati Bengals

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External videos
  Bengals draft Jessie Bates 54th overall
  Instant Draft Grade: Jessie Bates III

2018

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Bates with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Bates in the second round (54th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[21] Bates was the fourth safety drafted in 2018.[22] On May 12, 2018, the Bengals signed Bates to a four-year, $4.94 million contract that includes $2.38 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.67 million.[23]

Bates entered training camp slated as a backup safety, but earned an opportunity to compete for the job as the starting free safety against George Iloka after quickly impressing the Bengals' coaching staff.[24][25] Head coach Marvin Lewis named Bates the starting free safety to start the regular season, alongside strong safety Shawn Williams and cornerbacks William Jackson III and Dre Kirkpatrick.[26]

External videos
  Jessie Bates gets first NFL interception

He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Bengals' season opener at the Indianapolis Colts and recorded eight solo tackles in their 34–23 victory. On September 13, 2018, Bates recorded three solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first-career interception during a 34–23 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.[27] Bates made his first career interception off a pass attempt by Joe Flacco, that was originally intended for wide receiver Michael Crabtree, and returned it for a 21-yard gain in the first quarter.[28] In Week 7, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (seven solo) during the Bengals' 45–10 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. On October 28, 2018, Bates recorded six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during a 37–34 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. Bates intercepted a pass by Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, that was intended for wide receiver Adam Humphries, and returned it for a 21-yard touchdown.[29] On December 31, 2018, the Cincinnati Bengals announced their decision to fire head coach Marvin Lewis after the Bengals finished with a 6–10 record.[30] He started all 16 games as a rookie in 2018 and recorded a team-leading 111 combined tackles (73 solo), seven pass deflections, three interceptions, and one touchdown.[31] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[32]

2019

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In Week 4 against the Steelers, Bates recovered a fumble forced by teammate Nick Vigil in the 27–3 loss.[33] In Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, Bates recorded his first interception of the season off Robert Griffin III in the 49–13 loss.[34] In Week 11 against the Oakland Raiders, Bates recorded an interception off Derek Carr in the 17–10 loss.[35] In Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns, Bates recorded his third interception of the season off a pass thrown by Baker Mayfield during the 29–17 loss, tying his number of interceptions recorded during his rookie season.[36]

2020

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Bates with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020

In Week 6 against the Colts, Bates recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Philip Rivers during the 31–27 loss.[37] In Week 11 against the Washington Football Team, Bates recorded his third interception of the season off a pass thrown by Alex Smith during the 20–9 loss.[38]

After the season Bates was named a second-team All-Pro.

2021

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In Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams, Bates recorded his second career playoff interception, picking off Matthew Stafford in the end zone.[39]

2022

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On March 7, 2022, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Bates,[40] which he signed on August 23.[41]

Atlanta Falcons

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On March 16, 2023, Bates signed a four-year, $64.02 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.[42] Bates made his Falcons debut in Week 1 against the Panthers, where he recorded ten tackles, a career-high two interceptions, and a forced fumble in the 24–10 win.[43] His performance earned him National Football Conference (NFC) Defensive Player of the Week.[44] In Week 3 against the Lions, Bates recorded 13 tackles and his third interception of the season.[45] In Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, Bates had 13 tackles, a forced fumble, and returned his fourth interception of the season for a 92-yard touchdown in the 24–15 win.[46] His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the week, his second of the season.[47]

In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Bates recorded 12 tackles, two pass breakups, and the game-sealing interception in a 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[48]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TfL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2018 CIN 16 16 111 73 38 0 0.0 7 3 42 14.0 21T 1 0 0 0 0
2019 CIN 16 16 100 71 29 0 0.0 9 3 33 11.0 20 0 1 1 0 0
2020 CIN 16 16 109 78 31 2 0.0 15 3 12 4.0 12 0 1 0 0 0
2021 CIN 15 15 88 67 21 3 0.0 4 1 65 65.0 65 0 0 1 46 0
2022 CIN 16 16 71 38 33 1 0.0 8 4 28 7.0 16 0 1 0 0 0
2023 ATL 17 17 132 89 43 3 0.0 11 6 95 15.8 92 1 3 0 0 0
Career 96 96 611 416 195 9 0.0 54 20 275 13.8 92 2 6 2 46 0

References

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  1. ^ Hayes, Reggie (March 6, 2018). "Former Snider standout Jessie Bates III shows his skills at NFL Combine". News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Marini, Glenn (February 2, 2015). "Snider's Bates Commits To Wake Forest". WANE. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  3. ^ LaPlaca, Michael. "Bates Single Mother's Initiative Hits Close To Home". Bengals. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Collins, Dan. "Wake Forest's Bates keeps proving people wrong". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "Jessie Bates III 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Bates III Named to USA Today Freshman All-American Team". WakeForestSports.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "ACSMA ANNOUNCES 2016 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAMS". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
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  9. ^ "Depth Chart and Injury Report for N.C. State game". Blogger So Dear. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
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  24. ^ Rolling, Chris (August 19, 2018). "Bengals release starting safety George Iloka". bengalswire.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
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  26. ^ Marcum, Jason (September 4, 2018). "Bengals depth chart: Alex Redmond to start at right guard in Week 1". cincyjungle.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
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  40. ^ "Bengals Designate Bates as Franchise Player". Bengals.com. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  41. ^ Sullivan, Tyler (July 26, 2022). "Bengals star Jessie Bates ends holdout, returns to Cincinnati to sign franchise tag". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  42. ^ McElhaney, Tori (March 16, 2023). "Falcons announce signing of safety Jessie Bates III". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  43. ^ "Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons - September 10th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  44. ^ "Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
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  47. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 29, 2023). "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Rams RB Kyren Williams highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  48. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 18, 2024). "Saints RB Alvin Kamara, Bills RB James Cook highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
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