January 18, 2025
Bates recorded 102 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, along with 10 pass defenses (including four interceptions, one of which was a pick-six), four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery over 17 regular-season games.
ANALYSIS
Bates wasn't able to approach the career-high 132 stops he made in 2023, but he was still prolific as a tackler, notching his fifth career season with triple-digit stops. He also had two fewer interceptions than in the previous campaign, though he had twice as many pickoffs than anyone else on the Falcons and tied for 10th in the NFL in that category. For good measure, Bates recorded his second career pick-sick in Week 16 against the Giants and tied for fifth in the NFL with a career-best four forced fumbles. He's slated to be the centerpiece of Atlanta's secondary -- and an elite IDP option -- again in 2025, when he'll be in the third year of the four-year contract he inked in March of 2023.