The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big trade for Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates. Head coach Liam Coen noted that while trading for a player midway through the season will have challenges, he feels that Bates has a good chance to play in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans.
“I think it’s definitely a curve,” said Coen when discussing the challenges of Bates coming in and starting right away.
The Jaguars head coach made it clear that the team plans to lean on the intelligence and experience that Bates has in the past to bridge the gap.
Jacksonville Jaguars Plan to Play Jessie Bates in Week 10
“You’ve seen it done so many ways, right? So many different examples of it being done,” said Coen on players transitioning and playing within one week. “I know he’s pretty intelligent, and he’ll be able to understand a lot of that. It’s more the checks and balances right in between plays, the communication from two by two to three by one, the motions, the checks.”
Coen noted that Bates will understand the basic play calls. When they call Cover-3, he will know where to stand. However, when a player motions and the defenders call out a change or a shift in the coverage, the question is how much Bates can pick up right away.
“Like our verbiage where I would imagine three, cover three, cover four, you know, like the coverages,” said Coen on what Bates should be able to pick up. “He’ll understand and know and be able to play those, line up and play. It’s more of the checks and balances and things that go into each play that we’ll have to work through. We’ll take it one day at a time, see what happens.”
The Jaguars traded a second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft for Bates.
Bates Might Not Get a Bye Week in 2026
The Falcons were just in Spain and the team had a bye week planned. Now, Bates is on the Jaguars who already had their bye week. So, there is a chance Bates plays 18 games in a 17-game season.
Coen noted that this might play a factor in how much the team uses him right away.
“We have to see how that kind of works itself out throughout the week,” said Coen on how much Bates will play. “A lot of it’s going to be more, this week, about the onboarding process. Both with the guys, the coaches, the staff, all those things. And so, take it day at a time, see what happens. I know he’s extremely eager and sharp so we’ll have to see how it goes.”
Coen noted that the Jaguars will likely not dump him in there for every snap, as they onboard him into things. They will get him on the field in coverages he knows how to run, and they will find ways to mix him in.
However, the plan is for him to be playing, and they should have him for the rest of the season.
Jaguars Coach Reveals Plans for Jessie Bates Role in Week 10