It feels like only a matter of time before Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates is a household name.
After a slight dip in play last year on a struggling unit, Bates is playing at a league-best level through the first eight games of 2020.
So much so, he’s been named one of the NFL’s most underrated defensive players by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:
Bates was a great under-the-radar player in his rookie year of 2018, but his effectiveness didn’t show through in 2019 thanks to a series of defensive game plans that did not, to put it kindly, best feature the talents of the players involved. But Bates is back on his game this season — he’s allowed just 10 catches on 20 targets for 86 yards, 51 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 22.1. This is especially impressive given Cincinnati’s below-average pass rush.
We often write that the rangy Bates is all over the field and he is, especially now that things have marginally improved around him and the scheme is starting to come together.
To add more context, Bates finished last year with a Pro Football grade of 61.2.
He’s at a 90.1 this year.
This turns the attention to the future, as Bates is only under contract through 2021 and will assuredly need a big extension sooner rather than later.
