Bengals: 2 position groups that could be the best in the NFL

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Jessie Bates #30 and Vonn Bell #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Bengals could have the best safeties in the NFL

It’s no secret how good Jessie Bates is and he honestly feels like the team’s best-kept secret at times. I say that because playing an undervalued position like safety and also being a Bengal has made Bates an underlooked player in the NFL but he shouldn’t be.

In fact, most ‘top safety lists’ have Bates in the top 10, including one from Pro Football Focus last month that had him at No. 8. Bates is entering a contract season too, assuming the Bengals don’t get him signed to an extension prior to the start of the regular season, so this is only going to make him play harder.

Throw in that Bates is paired with Vonn Bell in the secondary and this is a duo that could be at the top of the league when the season is finished. Bell was a good player for the Saints, who drafted him in the second round back in 2016 and had a promising inaugural season in Cincinnati last year.

While Bell isn’t getting as much hype as Bates, the two made a good team last year and it’ll be fun to see what kind of havoc they can wreak in 2021.

Watch out for Bates and Bell this year. They could make the Bengals’ safety position one of the best in the league.