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Deandre Baker

Cardinals Audition CB Deandre Baker, LB Jeremiah Attaochu

August 10th, 2022 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after Deandre Baker‘s Chiefs exit, the Cardinals brought him in for an audition. Both Baker and edge rusher Jeremiah Attaochu worked out for the Cards on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

The Cardinals have a need at cornerback, and following Jeff Gladney‘s fatal car accident in May, Kliff Kingsbury said corner additions were on the radar. But the team has largely stood pat since Gladney’s tragic death.

Baker has not come especially close to justifying the Giants’ first-round investment. He lasted just one year in New York, with an armed robbery arrest leading to his quick Big Apple exit. Shortly after those charges were dropped, the Chiefs signed the 2019 Round 1 pick. But Baker did not carve out a steady role in Kansas City, playing just 256 defensive snaps in two seasons with the AFC West kingpins.

Attaochu, 29, has enjoyed a longer run of rotational work. The 2014 Chargers second-round pick spent the 2021 season with the Bears. While he did not tally any sacks in his Chicago season, he registered five in his second Broncos slate a year prior. The Bears released Attaochu in June.

Arizona let Chandler Jones walk in free agency, leading the two-time All-Pro to Las Vegas. The team did add two edge rushers in Round 3 — Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders — but did not replace Jones with a veteran. The team still has Markus Golden, Devon Kennard and Dennis Gardeck, however.

Chiefs Cut CB Deandre Baker

August 7th, 2022 at 8:17am CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs have cut cornerback Deandre Baker, as Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). After Kansas City injected a great deal of new blood into its CB room this offseason, Baker found himself on the wrong side of the roster bubble.

A first-round pick of the Giants in 2019, Baker played in all 16 games in his rookie season, including 15 starts. He did not perform particularly well, yielding a 116.2 passer rating and earning a poor 48.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, but as a Day 1 selection, Baker was in line to get another extended look in 2020 for a rebuilding New York outfit.

However, Baker’s career quickly went off the rails. The Georgia product was alleged to have robbed a party at gunpoint in May 2020, and the Giants had already waived him by the time charges were dropped, thereby ending a sordid saga that included the attorney for three of Baker’s accusers being arrested on extortion charges. Shortly after he was criminally cleared, Baker hooked on with the Chiefs’ taxi squad and wound up appearing in two games (one start) for KC towards the end of the 2020 campaign.

The Chiefs were intrigued enough to retain Baker for the 2021 season, and he appeared in eight games (one start) for the club last year. His performance still left much to be desired, and while Kansas City kept him in the fold this offseason, the team also drafted three corners — including first-round choice Trent McDuffie — and traded for former Texans CB Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Having failed to impress during his limited time in Kansas City, Baker was squeezed out by the new acquisitions. The soon-to-be 25-year-old will surely get another opportunity, as teams are always on the lookout for CB depth (especially when that depth comes with a first-round pedigree). But he will need to start displaying skills commensurate with that pedigree in order to stay in the NFL for the long haul.

Chiefs CB Deandre Baker Signs ERFA Tender

June 17th, 2022 at 9:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chiefs have another member of their secondary officially in the fold. Cornerback Deandre Baker has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 

The 24-year-old was originally a first round pick of the Giants in 2019. He started 15 of 16 games, but struggled in coverage, totalling 61 tackles and eight pass breakups. Expectations were high for a step forward the following year, but the end of his rookie season was his last action in New York.

Baker faced armed robbery charges for an incident in May 2020, which were later dropped. By that time, though, the Giants had cut ties with him, so the Georgia product was free to join any team as a free agent. He quickly did so, signing onto the Chiefs’ practice squad. He has been in Kansas City ever since.

Baker made just two appearances during the remainder of that 2020 campaign, but he did enough to earn a spot on the roster for this past season. He took on a larger workload than his first year with the Chiefs, but still started just one of the eight games he played in. By signing his tender, he is now in line to continue operating in a rotational capacity.

The Chiefs drafted Trent McDuffie in the first round of this year’s draft, adding a starting-caliber piece to their CB room. He will pair with L’Jarius Sneed at the top of the depth chart, along with Rashad Fenton as another key contributor. Baker will be in competition for a spot at the backend of the roster as he looks to further extend his second act in the NFL.

2023 NFL Fifth-Year Option Results

May 3rd, 2022 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

Monday marked the deadline for NFL clubs to officially pick up their options on 2019 first-rounders. Fifth-year option seasons are no longer just guaranteed for injury — they’re now fully guaranteed, which makes these decisions a little tougher for teams.

Nineteen players had their options exercised, a tick up from 14 last year. Here’s the full rundown:

1. QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals – Exercised ($29.7MM)
2. DE Nick Bosa, 49ers: Exercised ($17.9MM)
3. DE Quinnen Williams, Jets: Exercised ($11.5MM)
4. DE Clelin Ferrell, Raiders: Declined ($11.5MM)
5. LB Devin White, Buccaneers: Exercised ($11.7MM)
6. QB Daniel Jones, Giants: Declined ($22.4MM)
7. DE Josh Allen, Jaguars: Exercised ($11.5MM)
8. TE T.J. Hockenson, Lions: Exercised ($9.4MM)
9. DT Ed Oliver, Bills: Exercised ($10.8MM)
10. LB Devin Bush, Steelers: Declined ($10.9MM)
11. OT Jonah Williams, Bengals: Exercised ($12.6MM)
12. LB Rashan Gary, Packers: Exercised ($10.9MM)
13. DT Christian Wilkins, Dolphins: Exercised ($10.8MM)
14. G Chris Lindstrom, Falcons: Exercised ($13.2MM)
15. QB Dwayne Haskins:
16. DE Brian Burns, Panthers: Exercised ($16MM)
17. DT Dexter Lawrence, Giants: Exercised ($10.8MM)
18. C Garrett Bradbury, Vikings: Declined ($13.2MM)
19. DT Jeffery Simmons, Titans: Exercised ($10.8MM)
20. TE Noah Fant, Seahawks: Exercised ($6.9MM; originally drafted by Broncos)
21. S Darnell Savage, Packers: Exercised ($7.9MM)
22. OT Andre Dillard, Eagles: Declined ($12.6MM)
23. OT Tytus Howard, Texans: Exercised ($13.2MM)
24. RB Josh Jacobs, Raiders: Declined ($8MM)
25. WR Marquise Brown, Cardinals: ($13.4MM; originally drafted by Ravens)
26. DE Montez Sweat, Commanders: Exercised ($11.5MM)
27. S Johnathan Abram, Raiders: Declined ($7.9MM)
28. DE Jerry Tillery, Chargers: Declined ($11.5MM)
29. DE L.J. Collier, Seahawks: Declined ($11.5MM)
30. CB Deandre Baker — N/A (released by Giants)
31. OT Kaleb McGary, Falcons: Declined ($13.2MM)
32. WR N’Keal Harry, Patriots: Declined ($12.4MM)

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/11/22

March 11th, 2022 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:

RFAs

Tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Chiefs Re-Sign Deandre Baker

February 10th, 2021 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have re-signed Deandre Baker for the 2021 season, per a club announcement. The cornerback joined the Chiefs on a practice squad deal in November, shortly after the Broward County State Attorney’s Office dropped armed robbery charges against him. 

Baker struggled as a first-round rookie with the Giants, allowing a 116.2 passer rating. Then, heading into his second year, Baker was arrested on multiple felony charges. Cops alleged that Baker orchestrated a robbery at gunpoint with Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar as his accomplice. Then, after a number of twists and turns — including payoff allegations against one-time Dunbar attorney Michael Grieco — the charges were dropped.

After a month on the taxi squad, Baker got called up to the varsity squad for a couple of games. Now, he’ll work to make the 53-man cut in KC.

In addition to Baker, the Chiefs announced the following futures deals:

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/13/21

January 13th, 2021 at 2:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest practice squad moves from around the league:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/20

December 26th, 2020 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted: C Javon Patterson

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Chiefs Promote CB DeAndre Baker

December 19th, 2020 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several weeks after signing DeAndre Baker, the Chiefs are prepared to use the former first-round pick in a game. The defending Super Bowl champions promoted the second-year cornerback to their active roster Saturday.

The Chiefs added the former Giants draftee to their practice squad a month ago, doing so shortly after the Broward County State Attorney’s Office (Fla.) dropped armed robbery charges against him. Baker’s arrest on several felony charges led to the Giants cutting him.

Baker struggled as a rookie, allowing a 116.2 passer rating on passes thrown his way and allowing 61% of those throws to be completed. Pro Football Focus graded him as one of its worst defenders in 2019. The Chiefs are taking a chance on the former Georgia prospect, who was facing prison time until recently.

Baker was alleged to have committed armed robbery a party at gunpoint in May. Originally, Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar was charged as his accomplice, but the Broward State Attorney’s office declined to pursue charges against him. The story only became stranger from there, including payoff allegations against attorney Michael Grieco, who was once representing Dunbar. But both cornerbacks have moved forward with their respective careers.

Kansas City also promoted Stefen Wisniewski and linebacker Emmanuel Smith and activated wideout Byron Pringle from IR.

Chiefs To Sign DeAndre Baker To Practice Squad

November 18th, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

DeAndre Baker is back in the NFL. The Chiefs are set to sign the former first-round cornerback to their practice squad, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Robbery Charges Against DeAndre Baker Dropped]

Earlier this week, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office dropped the armed robbery charges against Baker. He was away from football for much of 2020 and gearing up for a court battle, but he’s now in the clear, legally speaking. The NFL could still discipline Baker after an investigation from the league office. For now, he’s free to join the Chiefs’ reserve squad.

Garafolo hears that it won’t be long before Baker makes his way to the active roster, provided that everything checks out. That’s no surprise, considering Baker’s first-round pedigree. A standout at Georgia, Baker was widely regarded as the top cornerback in the class. The 5-foot-11 athlete turned in a standout 2018 season with the Bulldogs, compiling 40 tackles, two sacks, nine passes defended, and two picks.

Baker was expected to be a key part of the Giants’ secondary right off the bat. Instead, he clashed with coaches and wound up benched midway through his first pro season. Still, the talent is there, and there’s little risk for the Chiefs as they take a flyer on him.

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