NFL expert agrees Jessie Bates doesn’t get recognition he deserves

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus sent out a tweet essentially asking who the NFL’s most underrated player is.

As you can imagine, it was immediately flooded with responses from Cincinnati Bengals fans claiming star safety Jessie Bates doesn’t get nearly the amount of recognition he deserves.

ESPN NFL expert Field Yates agrees.

Bates finished 2020 season as one of, if not ‘the’ best safety in the entire league. He was Pro Football Focus’ top-rated safety and a Second-Team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press.

Yet somehow, Bates was not a Pro Bowl selection, and frankly, he should have been a First-Team All-Pro, losing out instead to Tyrann Mathieu, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Budda Baker for that honor.

It’s good to see Yates, one of the NFL’s top reporters, agrees that Bates doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. It’s time to start promoting awareness for Jessie Bates being the NFL’s top safety.