Analytics Say Falcons Safety a Top Defender in NFL

Both the advanced stats and the counting stats reveal the Atlanta Falcons safety to be one of the top defenders in football

The stats reveal that he does it all | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

On an Atlanta Falcons defense filled with question marks, one certainty is safety Jessie Bates. He’s become one of their most reliable players on defense, and Pro Football Focus (PFF) put out a stat that argues he’s one of the best in the NFL. 

In a graphic shared via X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Bates was one of five defensive backs to receive both a coverage and run defensive grade above 80.0.

All-around lockdown DBs 🔒 pic.twitter.com/6U9KkjJ5p5

— PFF (@PFF) July 24, 2025

This put him in a group that PFF labeled as “all-around lockdown [defensive backs].”

This put him in a group that PFF labeled as “all-around lockdown [defensive backs].”

He was the only player in the NFL last season to have four or more interceptions and four or more forced fumbles. Since the 2023 season, he leads all safeties in the NFL with seven forced fumbles and is tied third amongst all defenders. Since 2020, he has the second most forced fumbles of all safeties (10), trailing only Antoine Winfield Jr (11). Since 2020, he is tied for fourth amongst all defenders with 18 interceptions.

Bates has been a top-10-rated safety by PFF’s coverage grades since he joined the Falcons during the 2023 offseason. In 2023, he recorded a 90.2 coverage grade, the second highest out of over 170 qualifying safeties. Last season, he had an 81.4, ninth out of over 170 qualifying safeties. Both years, he was also top 20 in run defense grades, with an 89.8 (3rd) and 80.4, respectively.

He was the only player of the five on PFF’s list: Bates, Kerby Joseph, Patrick Surtain, Kyle Hamilton and Cooper Dejean to have an 80.0 or better coverage and run defense grade in each of the last two seasons.