Kansas City Chiefs reveal why they signed troubled cornerback DeAndre Baker

Here’s hoping this sticks for a talented roster 

There’s no denying that while DeAndre Baker is talented, he also could be trouble for an NFL franchise. Still, the Kansas City Chiefs are willing to take a risk to better their secondary.

The Chiefs agreed to terms with Baker earlier this week to join their practice squad for the remainder of the 2020 season. The former first-round pick was released by the New York Giants one year after being selected 30th overall due to his charges of a robbery with a firearm in Florida in connection with an alleged incident in May.

All charges against Baker were dropped earlier this month and prior to his signing

When asked about the risk of bringing in Baker, Chiefs cornerback Sam Madison explained that his skills are an ideal fit for their defense and perhaps a change of scenery could better him for the future.

“A press corner, a physical guy, a ball hawk, a guy that’s always around the football,” Madison said of Baker, per Chiefs Wire Charles Goldman. “I’ve known this kid for a very long time, from Florida. We don’t really know, so we just want to get him in the building, get him used to the Kansas City way of doing things and implementing that.

“Getting him and getting him caught up to speed on the way that we do things, that’s going to be the most important part.”

What does Baker bring to the Chiefs secondary?

Baker will begin on the practice squad but should be raised to the active roster in little time. Depending on how fast the former Georgia star gets up to speed, his services could be needed immensely before the postseason.

Last season with the Giants, Baker had his rookie struggles like most first-year cornerbacks do. In 15 starts, he tallied 61 total tackles, eight pass deflections and a pair of tackles for losses. New York’s pass defense finished 28th in 2019, allowing 264.1 yards per outing and recording 10 takeaways.

Kansas City’s secondary has rapidly improved in the past two seasons all-around. The cornerback role still has some concerns as injuries and suspensions have cost the top three players to miss time. Bashaud Breeland began the year with a four-game suspension while rookie breakout L’Jarius Sneed has been on the injured reserve with a broken collarbone.

If Baker can get up to speed, the Chiefs secondary could get even better.