DALLAS — Jessie Bates doesn't want to play under the franchise tag.
Who can blame the Cincinnati Bengals safety? Although Bates is scheduled to make $12.91 million playing under the tag in 2022, the effective one-year deal of the tag still keeps a player in limbo as to his long-term future.
Bates doesn't have very many options other than to lump it and sign the tag, or take the Le'Veon Bell route and sit out the season. Until Bates signs his tender, the Bengals have no mechanism to penalize the former 2018 second-round pick. Similarly, Bates won't get paid for as long as he avoids signing the tender.
According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, Bates would make sense as an addition to the Dallas Cowboys secondary.
"Dallas already has two of the NFL's top defensive playmakers in Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs," writes Benjamin. "Imagine if they use some of the $22.5M in remaining 2022 cap space to make Bates part of the equation. Jayron Kearse was a force in his 2021 breakout, but he's logged just one full season as a starter in the NFL. Malik Hooker is just fine, too, but he's yet to play a full season and isn't breaking the bank after re-signing. Jerry Jones loves a good splash, and this one would help reinforce their defense's title aspirations both in the short and long term."
The reason why Kearse logged one season as a starter was because he didn't have a role in Mike Zimmer's defense with the Minnesota Vikings from 2016-19. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who was coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006-18, recalled how dynamic Kearse was on special teams, but it wasn't until they watched tape on Kearse's 11 games with the Detroit Lions in 2020 that they finally found a role for him.
"Frankly, his experience in Detroit I know really raised my eyebrows where they did some matchups with him on tight ends in their dime defense," McCarthy told reporters at organized team activities on June 9. "So, that was the vision of him, but he knocked it out of the park with his opportunity last year."
Kearse provided the Cowboys' defense with 101 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery through 16 games, 15 of which he started.
For Kearse, being able to play the "big nickel" position is what elevated his game.
"I think the only thing that has changed since I’ve been here is the opportunities have presented itself week in and week out and just given me the ability to be on the field at all times," Kearse said June 9.
The Cowboys may not have a Pro Bowl safety on the backend, but they have an effective defensive back that fits what defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is about.
Said McCarthy: "He’s given us tremendous flexibility, and the matchup capabilities he gives us, the position flex is outstanding. I’ll be honest with you. The guy’s got great ball skills, too. I mean, I think that’s something that goes — I mean, his long levers and his instincts and awareness, smart, tough. So, he’s been a great addition to our football team.”
Adding Bates would be redundant, and Jones eschewed multiple opportunities to make a splash at the position when Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams were available. Safety has been where the Cowboys have tried to be thrifty, and it has paid off thus far with Kearse.
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