Jessie Bates III carries the legacy of family on his shoulders.
Really.
Bates, the second-round safety who has been getting a ton of high-profile snaps as the Bengals go slow with starter Shawn Williams’ hamstring, has tattooed to one shoulder the birthdate of his older sister and to the other the birthdate of his younger brother in roman numerals.
But Bates carried another legacy into Tuesday’s next-to-last voluntary practice of the spring. After the Bengals defensive meeting before the team took the field, Williams convened a brief meeting of his position group for the benefit of rookie safeties such as Bates, Tyrice Beverette and Trayvon Henderson.