Falcons’ Jessie Bates III injury update confirms Week 1 status

The Atlanta Falcons just got an excellent Jessie Bates III injury update from Kevin Stefanski. The head coach says his star safety, who has been dealing with a lingering back injury throughout training camp, is good to go ahead of the Falcons’ Week 1 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Kevin Stefanski says Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is ‘ready to roll’ for Week 1. He will be practicing fully,” Falcons reporter Will McFadden reported on Monday.

Bates played all 17 games last season and made second-team All-Pro. The Atlanta defense is a much better unit with the veteran in the back, so being cleared of any injury issues is huge news for the team. The 29-year-old had 98 tackles, six passes defended, and three interceptions during the 2025 campaign.

Stefanski and his Falcons will need all the help they can get on the defensive side of the ball in Week 1 against the Steelers, as the offense will have Tua Tagovailoa as the starting quarterback with Michael Penix Jr. out. Tagovailoa joined Atlanta after the Miami Dolphins cut him, taking a $99.2 million dead cap hit over the next two seasons.

In the Falcons’ training camp, Tagovailoa was uninspiring, and even though he will be starting Week 1, the veteran signal-caller did not do enough to beat out Penix, who is coming off his third ACL surgery in the last eight years.

Atlanta finished 8-9 last season and missed the playoffs. The franchise has not made the playoffs since 2017, but with a high-powered offense, an offensive-minded head coach, and an improved defense, there are high hopes this season for the NFC South squad.

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