Washington Commanders tight end John Bates didn’t have the best preseason debut in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns.
As Washington’s starting tight end, quarterback Sam Howell found a wide-open Bates across the middle for a significant gain. Bates dropped it. While the play has no bearing on where Bates stands on Washington’s roster, it wasn’t what Bates or the Commanders wanted in the first preseason game.
Entering his third NFL season, Bates could be in line for a career year. Bates is behind veteran Logan Thomas on the depth chart, but new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will use multiple tight ends. And he loves involving the tight ends in the passing game. With Thomas still nursing a calf injury, Bates will have the opportunity to step up.
In his first two seasons, Bates has played in 33 out of a possible 34 games and made 15 starts. He has 34 career receptions for 357 yards with two touchdowns.
Could Bates eclipse his career numbers in 2023?
Bates had a starring role in Washington’s joint practices with the Ravens this week.
John Bates is having a really nice 11v11 period. He made three catches for far, including a contested grab on a pass from Howell
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) August 16, 2023
After Wednesday’s practice, Rivera was questioned about which tight ends have stood out. He quickly mentioned Bates.
“I’ll tell you right now, I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from John Bates,” Rivera said. “I thought he blocked extremely well. And then, as a guy coming out late after chipping or blocking, he presents a really nice target, made a couple of big catches today. That really kind of showed the kind of check down he can be for the quarterbacks.”
Bates is the type of player who will have a long NFL career because he is a traditional tight end. Many of today’s tight ends are glorified wide receivers. Not Bates. So, while Bates isn’t an explosive tight end, he has excellent hands and has found ways to get open in the passing game.
We’ll leave you with this one from Bates.
What a grab from @jjohnbates
@ANG_Recruiting | #HTTC pic.twitter.com/su311qE5q7
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 16, 2023