Where coaches, execs and players rank Bengals safety Jessie Bates

A new bit of polling shows Cincinnati Bengals fans what they already knew or suspected — Jessie Bates would be a bigger name if he played for a different team.

Bates, an All-Pro snub last year, qualifies as one of the league’s most underrated players outright. Certain outlets like PFF even graded him as the best player at his positon last year.

Over at ESPN, Jeremy Fowler. polled more than 50 executives, coaches and players to formulate top-10 rankings at safety and Bates lands 10th, comfortably distancing himself from the honorable mentions.

Some Bengals fans might think that’s too low for Bates (and it is), but the following from the writeup says it all:

“Bates isn’t a marquee name but probably should be.

‘If he was on a different team, people would love this guy,’ a high-ranking NFL official said.

Added an AFC coordinator: ‘He’s a really good player, he just plays in Cincinnati so he doesn’t get the recognition.’”

Landing high on lists like this is just one of the things that comes with finally winning more games, if not flirting with the playoffs.

Even if the Bengals do struggle in the win column again next year, a mega-money extension for Bates seems like an inevitable thing this summer. That sort of contract and headline news will wake even more onlookers up to the force that is Bates.