Did Bengals make the right call to effectively swap Jessie Bates for Orlando Brown?

The former All-Pro joins the Falcons, and the Bengals use that money to sign Orlando Brown.

Jessie Bates’ days as a Cincinnati Bengals are over.

The 26-year-old safety will be joining the Atlanta Falcons, signing a four-year $64.02 million deal.

Ironically, that’s essentially the deal that the Bengals turned around and gave stud left tackle Orlando Brown. So it’s safe to say that losing Bates paved the way for Brown to become a Bengal.

Bates spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Bengals, logging 478 career tackles, 14 interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He earned Second-Team All-Pro honors after a 2020 campaign that saw him log 109 total tackles and grab three interceptions and helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI the following season.

Bates played the 2022 season on the franchise tag, which complicated relations between the safety and the front office.

Ironically, that was what Brown did with the Kansas City Chiefs, as he was tagged last year, then signed elsewhere the following offseason.

Now, Bates is on his way to Atlanta. Making that loss sting more is that fellow Bengal safety Vonn Bell is joining the Carolina Panthers, leaving the Bengals down two of its starting safeties from last season.

Meanwhile, the Bengals have their franchise left tackle locked down for the foreseeable future.

Did the front office make the right decision to essentially trade Jessie Bates for Orlando Brown? Let us know in the poll below and in the comments section!

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