The regression of Jessie Bates

[CJD]

PFF isn't the end all be all. They make a lot of assumptions in what they think each player's role is and can often attribute a coverage failure to someone because they were the closest player to the receiver rather than based on the actual culprit in the play (for example, if a CB is supposed to go one on one with a receiver and Bates is the single high, if the CB plays incorrectly and drops into a short zone, allowing their receiver to catch a pass underneath Bates' zone, with him being the closest player, they would likely count that reception against Bates rather than the CB) but there's no doubt he has chosen the wrong time to have a more "average" season at safety. If he wants top dollar, like he has said in his press conferences, he needs to step it up in the 2nd half of the season.