Jessie Bates: 3 teams that could trade for Bengals safety

Jessie Bates and the Bengals were unable to come to terms on a contract and he’s not interested in the franchise tag which could lead to him seeking a trade

Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates was one of four players hit with the franchise tag who were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with his team.

However, Bates has made it clear that he has no intention of playing under the tag, which could lead to him trying to force his way out of town. If so, these are the three teams that should be calling the Bengals to see what it would take to make a deal happen.

3 teams that could use Jessie Bates in 2022

3. Philadelphia Eagles

This offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles went to work trying to fix their defense. They signed Haason Reddick who has 23.5 sacks over the past two seasons while also adding James Bradburry who had four picks in 2021 for the Giants.

On top of that, they drafted Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean — both from the NCAA Champions the Georgia Bulldogs.

There’s still some room for improvement, especially at the safety position. Right now, the Eagles look to feature Anthony Harris and either K’Von Wallace or Marcus Epps as their starters.

Bates would be an upgrade at free safety and would make their secondary — which also has veteran Darius Slay — one of the best in the league.

The biggest issue for Philly would be finding a way to extend Bates in the offseason since they’re slated to have just under $7 million in cap space in 2023. Even so, there are moves they can make and they’ve shown they have no problems making big trades in the past.