The Atlanta Falcons released the safeties installment of their training camp preview series Monday morning, and the position arrives at camp with something no other Falcons group can match: a No. 1 ranking already attached. Sports Illustrated rated Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts the best safety duo in the league this month, ahead of Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks and Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams.
The 2025 numbers carry the argument. Bates and Watts were the only safety pairing in the NFL last season in which each man recorded at least 95 tackles and three interceptions. Bates earned second-team All-Pro honors. Watts, a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year, finished with five interceptions, 96 tackles and 11 passes defended — and became the first Falcons rookie with at least four interceptions since Deion Sanders in 1989. The locker room made its position known before the national outlets did: Divine Deablo called the pair the best safety duo in the NFL this spring, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said they were the best he has been around, per the team’s preview by Tori McElhaney.
The more interesting camp question is Watts. His rookie year was the kind that invites a correction in Year 2 — quarterbacks will throw at him less carelessly, and offensive coordinators now have a season of film. Whether he sustains the takeaway production or trades some of it for a quieter, steadier season will shape how real the No. 1 label is by December.
Behind the starters, the preview flagged depth as the open competition. DeMarcco Hellams got extended first-team work alongside Bates during OTAs while Watts was held out with a minor injury, and newcomer Sydney Brown played a hybrid role this spring, dropping down toward the box at times. Both are core special-teamers, which matters for roster math after Jordan Fuller’s departure.
Atlanta’s first full practice is July 29. A July ranking guarantees nothing — this team knows better than most how quickly a lead can evaporate — but a secondary that enters camp as a settled strength, rather than a question to answer, is a different starting point than the Falcons have had in years.
