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Bates (back) continued to work with the training staff Monday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Bates suffered a minor back issue at some point in training camp and has been practicing in a limited capacity. The safety has been gradually working his way up to full participation and should be back soon. As Bates continues his recovery, other defensive backs such as Jammie Robinson have seen more snaps with the first-team defense.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Tending to minor back issue
Rotowire
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Bates is nursing a "minor" back injury, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Bates could be held out of some drills during training camp, but it doesn't seem like it will affect his availability for Week 1 of the regular season. He figures to occupy one of Atlanta's starting safety spots when healthy in 2026.
Bates posted 98 total tackles (57 solo), six passes defensed, including three interceptions, and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games in 2025.
The veteran safety from Wake Forest was one of the Falcons' top defenders in 2025, finishing with the second-most tackles and tying for the second-most interceptions on the team. However, he saw a dip in total tackles (98 to 102), passes defensed (10 to six) and forced fumbles (four to one) from his 2024 totals, despite playing 36 more defensive snaps this season. While Bates' production has taken a dip in two consecutive seasons, he remains one of the NFL's premier safeties. Under contract through the 2026 season, he's expected to remain one of the Falcons' top defensive playmakers next year.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Notches pick-six in Week 17 win
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Bates totaled seven tackles (four solo) and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown, in Monday's 27-24 victory against the Rams.
Bates played a major role in the Falcons' upset victory, giving Atlanta a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter when he picked off Matthew Stafford and return the ball 34 yards for a touchdown. That was the veteran safety's fourth career defensive touchdown, three of which have come during his three seasons in Atlanta. Bates also tied for second on the Falcons with seven stops Monday and needs five more tackles against the Saints in Week 18 to reach the triple-digit tackle mark for the third consecutive campaign.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Quiet outing in win
Rotowire
Bates tallied three tackles (two solo) during Atlanta's win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Bates had a quiet outing in the victory, recording just three tackles despite playing all 57 defensive snaps for the Falcons. The 28-year-old will aim to have a bounce-back performance and resume his usual level of production during the Week 17 games versus the Rams.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Logs eight stops vs. Tampa Bay
Rotowire
Bates recorded eight total tackles (six solo) during Thursday night's 29-28 win over the Buccaneers.
After recording just six total tackles in the Falcons' previous two games, Bates returned to his usual output in Thursday's win. The veteran safety finished with the second-most tackles on Atlanta's defense, trailing Xavier Watts' nine-stop performance. Bates has played in all 14 of the Falcons' games this season, recording 85 total tackles, four passes defensed, including two interceptions, and one forced fumble. He's expected to remain one of the team's top defensive playmakers in the Week 16 matchup against the Cardinals.
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Falcons' Jessie Bates: Another quiet performance
Rotowire
Bates logged two solo tackles during the Falcons' 37-9 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
Bates was one of three Falcons defenders to play every single snap Sunday, but the veteran safety tied a season low with just two stops. He is now up to 77 combined tackles through 13 regular-season games, and he has four more games to crack the tackling century mark for the sixth time in his career and for a third consecutive season.
