There are buyers, and there are sellers at the NFL trade deadline. The Atlanta Falcons just declared which side of the line they sit on. They traded former All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday morning, bringing a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick back in return.
Bates III wasn't just one of the best players on the Falcons' roster. He was a leader for Jeff Ulbrich's defense, both on and off the field. Replacing him won't be easy, especially in the middle of the season.
Falcons fans aren't going to like the first step in filling the gap that Bates III left behind. With the All-Pro out of the picture, Sydney Brown will likely move from his backup nickel position into a deep safety role. Anybody who watched the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles knows how concerning that transition can be.
Falcons' Jessie Bates III trade pushes Sydney Brown back to his worst role
The Falcons don't have the safety depth to make the Bates III trade any easier. Their safety room is now made up of Xavier Watts, DeMarcco Hellams, Billy Bowman Jr., and Brown. Hellams has only played 25 snaps this year, Bowman Jr. has missed three consecutive games with a hamstring injury, and Brown has struggled to hold up as a deep safety.
There isn't a good answer, at least not on the current roster. One option would be to move rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell to the slot, then bump Brown back to strong safety. It's probably the smoothest transition that the Falcons can make as Bowman Jr. continues to recover.
There's one obvious problem, though. Brown hasn't been good in the past when he's had to play deep safety. He spent most of his time there with the Eagles last season, and the results were concerning.
In 2025, Brown struggled to keep up in coverage, posting a career-low PFF coverage grade. He was even worse when fitting the run from a deep alignment, missing multiple tackles for Philadelphia. Of 124 qualifying safeties, he ranked 121st in missed tackle rate.
Unfortunately, the Falcons don't have much of a choice but to use him there. Unless Atlanta brings in another safety at the deadline, they'll likely walk the same path that the Eagles did with Brown.
Jessie Bates III trade could cause a ripple effect in Falcons' defense
Moving Brown from the slot to a deep safety role would certainly be a major effect of the Bates III trade, but it's not the only one.
As I mentioned earlier, someone would have to fill Brown's spot in the slot. That may be Avieon Terrell, who played there in his first two NFL games. Veteran Mike Hughes also has some experience in the slot, so the Falcons could opt to move him inside instead of asking a rookie to effectively switch positions.
With a weaker safety group, Ulbrich will have to adjust his scheme. He can't rely on Bates III to captain his defense any longer. We may see more two-deep looks as the defensive coordinator attempts to lighten the load on his safeties. Or, he might opt to increase his blitz rate to give his secondary less time in coverage. He'll have to get creative to mask the new weaknesses in his unit.
There aren't any easy ways to move on from a player like Bates III. The Falcons are about to learn that the hard way.
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