Bates to play on franchise tag

The Bengals and S Jessie Bates reportedly didn't come close to reaching a longer-term deal before Friday's deadline for franchise-tagged players. That leaves Bates to play out 2022 on the tag, and likely means he'll be finding a new team after the season. Bates struggled early last year and admitted that the lack of a new contract had distracted him. We'd bet on him not getting caught up in the same cycle this time around. Bates has spent most of his career as a strong IDP performer at an inconsistent position. We'd feel comfy drafting him in 2022.