Atlanta Falcons Shore Up Defense, Agree to 4-year, $64M deal with Bates
Analysis 3/13/23
An Atlanta Falcons defense that finished near the bottom of the NFL in several categories reinforced every level on Monday.
The Falcons agreed to terms with safety Jessie Bates III on a four-year, $64 million contract, NFL Media reported. That came on the heels of a three-year agreement with defensive tackle David Onyemata. Atlanta further addressed the defense when it added linebacker Kaden Elliss on a three-year, $21.5 million deal, also per NFL Media.
Bates, who played last season under the franchise tag at $12.9 million for the Cincinnati Bengals, is productive in stopping both the run and the pass. Bates, the top-ranked player on The 33rd Team's Top 150 Free Agents, made 71 tackles and four interceptions, and he had eight passes defended for the AFC North champions.
He has missed just three starts in five seasons and has three 100-plus tackle campaigns on his resume. In 2020, Bates was selected as a second-team All-Pro after making 109 tackles and totaling 15 passes defended.
Bates, who The 33rd Team analyst Robert Smith said the Falcons should target, joins a team that finished in the bottom third of the league in points (22.7) and yards allowed (362.1) per game. Atlanta had just 10 interceptions and recovered just eight fumbles in 2022.
"They’re going to need some help at the safety spot," Smith said earlier this offseason. "When you go out and look at the market for safeties this year an obvious place to start is the Bengals.
"Safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell are two names that can be in the mix for the Falcons because of the cap space they have (more than $55 million, according to Over The Cap). The Falcons might be looking at one or both of those names to bolster the secondary."
Onyemata has missed just eight games in his seven NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He had five sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 43 tackles during the 2022 season.
Elliss played in every game for the Saints for the first time in his four seasons. It was by far his most productive season as he made 78 total tackles — seven for a loss — and had seven sacks and 10 more quarterback hits. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft.
That continued a busy Monday for Atlanta. Earlier, the Falcons signed guard Chris Lindstrom to a five-year, $105 million extension.