Falcons' Jessie Bates 'Quiet Assassin' for New Defense
Even though Jessie Bates III is arguably one of the best at his position, the Atlanta Falcons safety has a slim-to-none chance of winning the MVP. After all, the last non-quarterback to do so was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.
Despite that, there is no denying how valuable the safety is to any success the Falcons might have this season. He's so valuable that NFL.com named him Atlanta's non-quarterback MVP heading into the season, citing his ability to be a ball-hawk.
"Bates is a quieter assassin, able to come from off the screen to make a play on the ball with his exceptional range and timing. He's recorded three or more picks in four of his five seasons, including four last season. Atlanta posted just 10 picks total last season," NFL.com writes.
The site also notes that while safety is a challenging position to predict impact, first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen should make life easier for Bates.
"Safety is a tricky position to pick for impact, and a lot of the talk following the hiring of new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was about his plan to juice up the pass rush -- a sore subject in Atlanta in recent years. But that pressure might also lead to hurried and off-target passes. That's where Bates comes in," NFL.com writes.
If Atlanta aspires to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017, Bates must bring over the success he found in the first five seasons of his NFL career to a new-look Falcons defense.
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