Falcons' Jessie Bates cracks top 5 of PFF's safety rankings for 2025 season

The Atlanta Falcons defense had a roller-coaster season in 2024, ending with two ugly performances in losses to the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers. After the season, the team fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and replaced him with Jeff Ulbrich.

While we expect the defense to look much different in 2025, one player Ulbrich can count on is safety Jessie Bates III. The Pro Bowl playmaker delivered again last season, bringing in four interceptions, four forced fumbles and one sack. Bates has 10 interceptions since signing with the Falcons during the 2023 offseason.

The 28-year-old didn't make the Pro Bowl or All-Pro teams, but he still cracked the top five of Pro Football Focus' safety rankings for 2025 season. Bates landed at No. 3 on PFF's list:

While Bates didn't replicate his success from his first season in Atlanta — in which he earned a 90.6 PFF overall grade — he was still among the best safeties in the league in 2024. He was especially good in coverage, evidenced by his 81.4 PFF coverage grade, which ranked eighth at the position. Zoltán Buday, PFF

The Falcons did a solid job of upgrading around Bates without using a ton of resources. After signing veteran Jordan Fuller in free agency, the team stole Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Atlanta also drafted Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman in the fourth round.

Watts, who recorded six interceptions for the Fighting Irish last season, was ranked 36th overall on PFF's 2025 Big board. Atlanta landed him at pick No. 96 after moving up a few spots in the third round.

"Watts is the best ball-hawking safety in this class thanks to his intelligence and ability to break on the football," PFF wrote.

Bowman is expected to compete for reps at nickel this season. The team also re-signed veterans Dee Alford and Mike Hughes. This group has a good mix of talent and leadership, and it all starts with Bates. We'll see if Ulbrich can get the most out of this unit in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons News: Jessie Bates ranked among NFL's best safeties by PFF