The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason knowing that they could have some players to replace in their secondary. Multiple starters in cornerback Eli Apple and safeties Jessie Bates III and Von Bell were hitting the open market. While the team likely had some aspirations to re-sign their key players, things didn’t work out as the team had hoped.
Cincinnati’s safety depth chart has been hit hard as Bates and Bell are both moving on in free agency. Bates was considered by many as the best safety available this offseason and after playing on the franchise tag in 2022, he has cashed on a lucrative long-term deal.
The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal with Bates. As pointed out by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, that deal makes Bates the fourth-highest-paid safety in the league behind only Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jamal Adams.
Bates is not only productive with above-average skill in coverage and as a run defender but dependable. He has played at least 1,000 snaps in each of his five seasons in the NFL and Kevin Byard is the only safety that has logged more snaps than in since 2018.
Despite changing teams, Bates is going to see his former secondary mate Bell regularly. Bell is also heading to the NFC South as he agreed to a contract with the Carolina Panthers. Carolina was desperate for a safety and they are getting a good one in Bell.
Bell excels playing against the run, recording a run defense grade of 88.7 over the last five seasons. That is eighth best among players at his position, giving the Panthers a legitimate boost in the backend.
While certainly not as stout against the pass, Bell can at least hold his own in coverage. He has been steady the last two seasons, recording a grade of at least 65 in back-to-back campaigns.
New Panthers head coach Frank Reich is going to be excited about adding Bell to the mix as a leader and solid all-around player at the back end of the defense. He did a little bit of everything for the Bengals last season and will hopefully do more of the same with the Panthers.
