Giants to release troubled former first-round pick Deandre Baker

The New York Giants have released Deandre Baker.

Dave Gettleman and the New York Giants had big plans for former Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker, as they traded three draft picks to select him 30th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. After a disappointing rookie season, Baker found himself the prime suspect in an armed robbery case with serious legal implications. Now that the trouble has outweighed the talent, the Giants have parted ways with their former first-rounder.

The Giants released Baker after his legal nightmare from the offseason, ending his Giants career after just one disappointing season for Big Blue. They have wasted no time replacing him, as they issued his old No. 27 to recently acquired cornerback Isaac Yiadom.

Deandre Baker was a star at Georgia, but now he’s a free agent

Baker was one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC over a two-season span in Athens, but scouts still questioned his pro potential, as his lack of speed led to questions about how he would handle vertical routes. Targeted 88 times in 16 games as a rookie, Baker allowed a 61.4 percent completion percentage and six touchdowns without recording an interception.

Joe Judge started to distance himself from Baker when the incident happened, as he told him not to attend team Zoom meetings. He spent the 2020 NFL Draft adding players like Alabama safety Xavier McKinney and UCLA cornerback Darnay Holmes in an effort to replace him.

Baker had the world ahead of him, as he was viewed as a long-term defensive cornerstone for one of the NFL’s gold star franchises. With one ill-fated legal incident potentially robbing him of the rest of his football career, one has to wonder if Baker will ever play in the NFL ever again.