Dallas Cowboys: 3 Safety targets at NFL Trade Deadline
By Randy Gurzi
Scouting Report. player. 1. 56. Pick Analysis. S. Cincinnati Bengals. Jessie Bates
The final player the Cowboys should consider making a move for is Jessie Bates III of the Cincinnati Bengals. Bates is the youngest player on this list, having entered the NFL just one season ago. As a rookie in 2018, Bates — a second-round pick out of Wake Forest — recorded 111 tackles, had three picks, seven pass defenses, and a defensive touchdown.
He looked to be a star in the making and was graded a respectable 79.9 by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). So far in 2019, he hasn’t had the same success. In seven starts, Bates has 56 tackles but has yet to record an interception and has only one pass break up. His PFF score reflects this as well as it’s fallen all the way down to 48.7.
Despite his dip in performance, Bates is a player who has a bright future. He’s still the same athlete who popped on film as a rookie but this season, he’s just part of a team that has had absolutely nothing go their way.
Cincinnati is currently 0-7 and they’re one of the worst teams on both sides of the ball. According to NFL.com, they’re 25th in the league in points surrendered on defense and last in the league in yards given up with 189.0. Couple that with them being one of the worst offenses, and it means this defense is on the field all the time — which is hurting Bates at the moment.
Of course, it also wouldn’t be easy to pry him from Cincinnati. He’s a young player that can help a defense so they would likely want to keep him around. However, he’s also one of the few players with any value that they could trade as they look to build in the future.
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The Bengals need for draft picks to rebuild with as well as the early season struggles for Bates could help Dallas pull this one off should they be willing to pull the trigger ahead of the deadline.