He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.

[2] Bates is the son of his single mother Theresa and has 6 siblings, his older sister Aaliyah, his younger brother Von and step-siblings Donavan, Nate, Kameron and Ariana.

He attended pre-draft visits with multiple teams, including the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers.

[26] On September 6, 2018, Bates made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Bengals' season-opener, recording eight solo tackles in a 34–23 victory at the Indianapolis Colts.

In Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, Bates recorded his first interception of the season off Robert Griffin III and made eight combined tackles (seven solo) during their 49–13 loss.

[40] In Week 13, he racked up a season-high 13 combined tackles (ten solo) and had his only forced fumble of the season as the Bengals lost 7–13 at the Miami Dolphins.

He made a total of 109 combined tackles (78 solo), 13 pass deflections, three interceptions, and one forced fumble while starting all 17 games for his third consecutive complete season.

[44] On September 26, 2021, Bates recorded a season-high nine combined tackles (six solo), before exiting in the fourth quarter after suffering a neck injury as the Bengals won 24–10 at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[45] In Week 5, Bates returned from his neck injury and collected a season-high eight solo tackles (nine combined) during a 22–25 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

[46] Bates was a healthy scratch for a Week 18 loss at the Cleveland Browns as head coach Zac Taylor elected to rest the majority of starters.

On January 30, 2022, Bates started in the AFC Championship Game and made four combined tackles (two solo) and one pass break up during a 27–24 victory at the Kansas City Chiefs.

On February 13, 2022, Bates started in Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams, recording six combined tackles (three solo), one pass break up, and intercepted a pass thrown by Matthew Stafford in the end zone while covering Van Jefferson during the second quarter of a disappointing 23–20 loss[47] On March 7, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on Bates.

[49] Throughout training camp, Bates was projected to remain as the starting free safety, but had minor competition from 2022 first round pick Daxton Hill.

On January 29, 2023, Bates started in his last game as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals during a 23–20 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship and recorded six combined tackles (three solo).

[53][23] He entered training camp as the de facto starting free safety under defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, userping Jaylinn Hawkins.

On November 26, 2023, Bates recorded 11 combined tackles (seven solo), a forced fumble, and returned an interception thrown by Derek Carr to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for a career-best 92-yard touchdown in the Falcons' 24–15 win against the New Orleans Saints.

[61] In Week 16, he had two combined tackles (one solo), a season-high two pass deflections, and returned an interception by Drew Lock for a 55–yard touchdown as the Falcons routed the New York Giants 34–7.

The following week, he collected a season-high tying 12 combined tackles (seven solo) and had his first career sack on Jayden Daniels during a 24–30 loss at the Washington Commanders.