FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — In three short years, Jessie Bates III has built himself a strong case for contention as one of the best free-agent talent acquisitions in Atlanta Falcons history.
A key objective when navigating the NFL's open market is to pay for future production rather than past performance, and the Falcons have gotten the premier version of Bates since he joined in 2023. With 13 interceptions and 8 forced fumbles for the Falcons, not to mention 332 tackles, this has been the most productive three-year stretch of his career. Entering his ninth season, the veteran safety is once again considered among the best players at his position.
ESPN is wrapping up its annual top 10 list of players at each position, for which Jeremy Fowler reached out to several NFL coaches, scouts and front office members to compile a consensus ranking of the league's top pros. Safety is the final position group in the series, which has featured a few other Falcons players, and Bates was ranked 5th by those polled.
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"Bates is always a threat to flip the momentum of a game with one play," Fowler writes of Bates. "He's one of the game's great ball hawks, registering 27 interceptions in eight seasons. Thirteen of those picks have come in his three seasons in Atlanta, and in each of those seasons, he has returned one for a touchdown. He has a flair for yardage after the pick, with 384 return yards for an average of 14.2 yards per interception."
Since he joined Atlanta, Bates is the only player in the NFL with at least 10 interceptions and three-plus forced fumbles. He has a proven knack for making big plays, but that is only part of what makes the three-time All-Pro a true gamechanger. As Fowler mentioned, the big plays Bates makes often generate huge amounts of momentum for the Falcons.
In 2023, Bates' 92-yard pick-six against the New Orleans Saints in Week 12 produced the single-highest negative EPA — which is a good thing for the defense — of any play for an Atlanta opponent that year, according to TruMedia. Similarly, Bates was responsible for creating the most negatively impactful play in terms of EPA by an opponent in 2024 when he scored a 55-yard touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 16. Technically, Bates' 34-yard pick-six against the Rams in Week 17 produced the second-lowest EPA by an opponent last season, according to TruMedia, but it was only a tenth of a point behind the strip-sack touchdown Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. produced against the Patriots in Week 9.
EPA helps measure the magnitude of plays in terms of their overall impact on the final score. That Bates is nearly responsible for the single best play by Atlanta's defense in terms of EPA in each season since joining the Falcons is clear evidence that he's not only a complete player but a clutch one as well.
Versatility is a key quality Bates possesses that allows him to have such an impact. Like some of the other players near the top of Fowler's list, Bates can play multiple spots on the defense at a high level to the benefit of the overall defense.
"As a safety nowadays, you've got to be able to play everything," Bates said. "I remember when I first got in the league, which is nine years ago now, there was a box safety — a strong safety — and then there was a free safety — a post safety. Where I lived in that world, 20 yards deep, line up, and just backpedal or read the quarterback. Now, it's line up in a two-shell. Whether you're in the boundary, whether you're to the field, you've got to be able to weave to the middle of the field, not just line up in the middle of the field. We could talk about that all day, about how the game is continuing to change. But as a safety, you've got to be able to adapt."
Join the Atlanta Falcons on the practice fields and in the weight room as they tackle an offseason workout at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand #90 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. #8 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. #9 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair #19 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #1 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive end Cameron Thomas #99 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive back Sydney Brown #29 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr. #15 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Casey Washington #82 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Dylan Drummond #80 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus #14 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Goodson #25 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Darnay Holmes #30 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III #3 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive back DeMarcco Hellams #23 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Jammie Robinson #34 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts #31 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Natrone Brooks #35 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Cobee Bryant #37 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair #19 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Deven Thompkins #83 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Jahan Dotson #4 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus #14 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari #51 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Channing Tindall #55 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus #54 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. #24 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. #9 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Jahan Dotson #4 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #1 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper #81 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Trevor Siemian #13 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Joshua Simon #47 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. #8 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III #3 and Atlanta Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Patrick Toney during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Charlie Woerner #89 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper #81 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper #81 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand #90 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Trevor Siemian #13 and Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper #81 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Christian Harris #45 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Divine Deablo #0 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Jalon Walker #11 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr. #15 during offseason workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Taylor McLaughlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. #24 during an OTA Phase 2 workouts at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
