Jessie Bates is the most important player for the Cincinnati Bengals
By Alex Austin
When people think of the Cincinnati Bengals, most jump to Joe Burrow and the talented skill players on the offense, but Jessie Bates is the best player on this team.
Bates is the best player on the Bengals and based on recent player performances, it isn’t even close. Inside the top 100 players in the NFL, Cincinnati had only two, Jessie Bates and Joe Burrow. Admittedly Joe Burrow will climb this list very fast if he stays healthy, but Jessie Bates was far and away the best-rated player for the Bengals.
The fourth-year safety has improved every season he has been with the Bengals and is now regarded as one of the best safeties in the NFL. The only reason he does not get talked about more is because of the position he plays. Playing safety, he is just starting to get the respect he deserves as people around the NFL have noticed the special talent that he is.
Before we get too far, I need to highlight that Joe Burrow is a great player. If he puts together a full season of the potential he showed during his rookie year, he is going to be a top ten quarterback in the league.
While Burrow is going to get the spotlight again, Bates may be the biggest factor in determining success or failure for the Bengals this year.