Falcons' Jessie Bates III Reveals Number Change

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is debuting a new look this season.

Sure, he's changing from orange stripes to "Dirty Bird" red after leaving the Cincinnati Bengals to sign a four-year, $64 million contract with the Falcons this offseason, but he's also debuting a new number.

After wearing No. 30 with the Bengals, Bates is moving to No. 3 with the Falcons.

The move comes after the team cut linebacker Mykal Walker, who wore No. 3 in each of the past two seasons.

While not confirmed, it's likely that the No. 3 represents his family as he is the third person in his family to carry Jessie Bates' name.

Bates played the first five seasons of his career with the Bengals and made Second-Team All-Pro in 2020. He played on the franchise tag in 2022 and tallied a career-high four interceptions.

Before 2022, Bates had at least 100 tackles in his first three seasons. He also had three interceptions in each of the first three seasons of his career. Atlanta was 24th in the league with 10 interceptions and 31st in sacks with 21. They were also 23rd in points allowed per game with 22.7.

Perhaps Bates, now wearing No. 3, can bring that magic back to the Falcons secondary this season.

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