FLOWERY BRANCH — On the day he was to report to training camp, Falcons safety Jessie Bates III woke and thought it was Sunday.
The team’s reigning leading tackler was ready to hit somebody like it was game day. He was among the group of players who made their way to the training facility Wednesday for the report date, many wearing sweatpants and slippers and rolling in their luggage before they checked into the dormitories.
“I woke up like it was a game day, just the nerves and this being my seventh training camp and it feels like my first,” Bates said, who took the field for the Falcons’ first practice Thursday.
New beginnings and opportunities are on the way. New ... as in a coach Raheem Morris and the highly anticipated quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has been medically cleared for practice.
Bates and Cousins began to watch film together to see the bigger picture between the two.
“I watch film throughout OTAs where it’s just me and Kirk in there talking ball and telling what he sees, what I see,” Bates said.
Morris enjoys observing Bates and Cousins interact and believes that will help to cultivate a player-led environment.
“When you talk about Jessie Bates and Kirk Cousins you’re talking about high-level ball,” Morris said.
Cousins, the former two-time Pro Bowler, signed a four-year deal worth up to $180 million in free agency. Cousins is set to enter his 12th season in the NFL after starting his career in Washington in 2012.
After the 2017 season, he signed with Minnesota, where he played from 2018-23.
Cousins said being around Bates helps his development as a player.
“He asked to watch film together, which tells you something,” Cousins said. “In doing so I felt like I learned more than he learned from me.”
Bates and Cousins are working together on and off the field, which will could lead to the establishing the team’s identity on defense and offense.
“That relationship (with Cousins) is something I’m very excited to continue to grow.” Bates said, “His value as a person for this team is going to be huge.”
The expectations for training camp each year changes for the team and the players. Last year, when Bates came over as a free agent from the Bengals he didn’t know what to expect. The transition to a new team and the birth of his baby boy (Jessie Bates IV), a lot was happening for him.
“This year is completely different now,” Bates said. “I’m settled in, and life is a little simpler.”
Now, Bates would like to become a leader on the team after posting 132 tackles and being named second-team All-Pro in 2023.
“Where I’m at in my career, I need to make sure I’m a great leader,” Bates said.
Reading books about leadership and personal development never has been more important for the safety, as he is no longer one of the younger players in the NFL.
“I’ve been the young guy that needed a leader, a leader to pull me out of a slump,” Bates said, “That’s what I’ll use to navigate my leadership.”
Bates said a leadership role is something that grows upon you and is an asset to the team.
Another season-long goal he has is having a top-five defense in all categories.
“Our goal for 2024 as a defense is to be top five in every single category,” Bates said. “That’s the goal.”
As the team leaves in two weeks to Miami for combined practices, the trust between the players and coaching staff is what they need to focus on.
The importance to become the best team from the very bottom to the top during the offseason will translate only later down the road, according to Bates.
“There’s going to be articles that might say our offense isn’t good enough, our defense isn’t good enough, but at the end of the day all that matters is what’s in this building,” Bates said.
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