Tag: darrell baker jr.

How confident are the Titans in their cornerback room?

The Tennessee Titans were a league anomaly after the initial breakdown of their roster, the carried a league low of cornerbacks.

When the Tennessee Titans made their initial cuts to get down to the mandated 53-man limit, they kept five tight ends and only four cornerbacks. It’s a fact that many found interesting and left the Titans in a category of their own, carrying the fewest of cornerbacks in the league. 

By comparison, no other team carried less than five, with a third of the NFL carrying at least six on the roster. Of course, the roster is in constant motion at this time of the season and adjustments have been made.

On Thursday, the Titans claimed former Indianapolis Colts cornerback Darrell Baker, adding another young cornerback to the active roster. But this is still a risky proposition. 

The unit is counting on veterans L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie to man the outside, with Roger McCreary in the slot. On paper, this looks like a solid starting group, but there are some concerns about how they will mesh together on the field when the action starts. Behind them sits rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr., now Baker on the active roster. 

The Titans did add three more cornerbacks to the practice squad, Tre Avery, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, and Anthony Kendall, who are familiar with the system. This will give the team some added flexibility with elevation rules, so the team should not have issues with the lighter active roster. But it will be something to watch throughout the season.

Titans claim former Colts cornerback off waivers

Titans look to division rival for cornerback depth.

The Tennessee Titans continue to remake their secondary. In the offseason, the Titans traded for L’Jarius Sneed and signed Chidobe Awuzie in free agency, giving them one of the NFL’s better cornerback tandems for 2024.

Tennessee didn’t stop there, selecting Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft. Brownlee was one of the Titans’ defensive standouts in training camp.

On Thursday, the Titans added more help to their secondary, claiming former Colts cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. off waivers. In a corresponding move, Tennessee placed rookie linebacker Cedric Gray on injured reserve.

Baker is the third player the Titans claimed off waivers since Wednesday, joining linebacker Ali Gaye and defensive back Julius Wood.

Baker, 26, was undrafted out of Georgia Southern in 2022. After initially signing with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent, he was waived during final cuts that summer. He signed with the Colts’ practice squad in September of that year and was activated to the 53-man roster later that season.

Baker made the Colts’ roster last summer, appearing in 14 games with six starts. He signed a one-year extension in January, but was waived this week.

Baker has played in 17 games in two NFL seasons, making six starts, and has recorded 35 tackles and seven passes defended.

Baker joins a Tennessee cornerback depth chart featuring Sneed, Awuzie, Roger McCreary and Brownlee. That’s a much-improved unit for the Titans.

 

Colts’ training camp roster preview: CB Darrell Baker Jr.

Up next in our Colts’ training camp preview is cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. Here is a look back at 2023 for Baker and what’s ahead in 2024.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.

2023 Season Review

Darrell Baker began the season as one of the Colts’ starting cornerbacks, but inconsistent play and eventual injuries in the secondary led to sporadic playing time throughout the season.

Baker played 469 defensive snaps in 2023 as a boundary cornerback. He was targeted 50 times, allowing 29 completions (58%) and a hefty 15.9 yards per catch–the sixth-highest average among cornerbacks.

Baker would force seven pass breakups and had a passer rating of 102.1 when targeted. Missed tackles were an issue for Baker, who missed 13 of his 46 attempts, according to PFF.

In a brutal 39-38 loss to Cleveland, Baker was flagged twice – on very questionable calls – with both penalties giving the Browns new life when it looked like the Colts were going to come away with the in.

“I don’t agree with the penalties at all,” Baker Jr. said via the Indy Star after that game “When those balls are uncatchable, usually they don’t throw those flags out, especially when they’re initiating the contact with the corner. You can put your hands on them, too, as long as you’re looking for the ball. I’m not impeding their force or anything. I don’t know what else I can do better on that.”

On special teams, Baker played 198 snaps across four different phases.

2024 Season Preview

Earlier in the offseason, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley would call the cornerback competition “wide open,” however, this is a battle that has already begun to take shape. Of course, Kenny Moore will be in the slot, and JuJu Brents appears locked into one of the boundary cornerback spots while Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers are competing for the other.

In the early going, it has been Jones who has been getting those starting reps.

“I think all those guys, obviously, we drafted two young guys, but I think with Jaylon Jones, Dallis, and JuJu, they’re long, rangy guys that are physical when they get up and press,” said Shane Steichen during minicamp.

“They got good vision. I love those guys. It’s a good room. A good competition there. It’s going to be a good competition, obviously, in minicamp and OTAs, but going into training camp is going to be big for all those guys.”

At a position group where five or six cornerbacks are typically rostered, that’s four spots accounted for. The Colts also spent two draft picks on the position, selecting Jaylin Simpson and Micah Abraham on Day 3. This doesn’t make them roster locks, but one would assume it gives them a leg up.

Baker, among others, will be competing with Simpson and Abraham for that final roster spot or two. When it comes to determining any back end of the roster spot, special teams play will be vital, and Baker’s experience in that regard could be an important differentiator for him.

If Baker is left off the initial roster, as a young player with both defensive and special teams experience, he would be a prime practice squad candidate, giving the Colts someone they can lean on if they find themselves in a pinch.

Colts sign 9 to futures contracts among several roster moves

The Colts made 14 roster moves Monday to begin the 2024 offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts officially got their offseason underway Monday by making several roster moves, including the signings of nine players to Reserve/Future contracts, the team announced.

Along with the nine futures contracts the team signed, all of which include players from the practice squad, the Colts also signed four players to one-year contract extensions while waiving another player. So in total, the Colts made 14 moves.

As is typical protocol following the end of the regular season, the Colts will be preparing to expand their roster to 90 players for the offseason. Much of that includes signing players to futures contracts.

The expansion of the roster to 90 players doesn’t go into effect until the start of the new league year, which is March 13. That’s why it’s technically a reserve contract. It is essentially stating the player will be on the 90-man roster when the time comes.

There is no limit to how many futures contracts the Colts have as long as they are within the 90-man limit when the new league year rolls around.

Here’s a look at the 14 moves the Colts made to begin the offseason:

Colts vs. Falcons: Inactive players for Week 16

Here are the inactive players for the Colts and Falcons in Week 16.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) and Atlanta Falcons (6-8) released their lists of inactive players ahead of the Week 16 matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Here are the inactive players for the Colts in Week 16:

Name Position Injury
Zack Moss RB Forearm
Braden Smith OT Knee
Segun Olubi LB Hip
Michael Pittman Jr. WR Concussion/Shoulder
Jack Anderson C Illness
Eric Johnson II DT —
Darrell Baker Jr. CB —

Notes

  • Only two inactive players are healthy scratches for the game.
  • Rookie Blake Freeland will make his third consecutive start at right tackle.
  • RB Jonathan Taylor is expected to see his full workload in his first game back from thumb surgery.

Here are the inactive players for the Falcons in Week 16:

Name Position Injury
Pat O’Donnell P Personal
Kaleb McGary OT Knee
Jovaughn Gwyn G —
Tommy Togiai DT —
John Fitzpatrick TE —
Joe Gaziano DE —
Logan Woodside QB —

[lawrence-related id=92813,92810,92808]

Colts vs. Buccaneers: Key matchups to watch in Week 12

These are the key matchups to watch in Week 12 between the Colts and Bucs.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-5) are looking to string together a winning streak as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Coming out of the bye week, the Colts will be down a trio of key players while the Bucs will be without multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball.

As both teams look to make a playoff push with seven games remaining, here’s a look at the key matchups in store for the Week 12 bout:

Colts’ stock report from Week 7 loss to Browns

Checking in on the stock report for the Colts after the Week 7 loss.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-4) fought hard until the end but ultimately came out on the losing side of a 39-38 result in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns (4-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It was a back-and-forth battle all game that included eight lead changes. The Colts offense posted a season-high 38 points and 456 total yards against arguably the best defense in the NFL.

Now, it’s time to take a look at how this game impacted the stock of a handful of players.

When taking stock of a player’s performance, it’s best to be fluid. A player’s stock will fall and rise throughout the season so none of this is set in stone. However, it is important to take note of the narratives and storylines taking place as the campaign progresses.

A player’s stock can be impacted by factors such as their performance or the type of snaps they receive during the games.

Here’s a look at the stock report for the Colts following the Week 7 loss:

How Trevor Lawrence exploited a Colts flaw he spotted in Week 1

Trevor Lawrence’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk came after the quarterback spotted something on tape from their Week 1 win.

In the fourth quarter of a Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked up a first down when Trevor Lawrence threw a quick pass to tight end Evan Engram near the sideline that turned into a 9-yard gain.

It was a solid play for the Jaguars offense, but it exposed a hole in the Colts defense that could’ve been exploited for a lot more. Five weeks later, Lawrence took advantage of it on a 29-yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk.

The Colts defense relies mostly on a Cover 3 scheme under defensive coordinator and former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley. Essentially, it usually asks two safeties to each cover a third of the deep secondary and a cornerback to drop back and handle the final third. Linebackers and other cornerbacks then take anything underneath.

It looks a little something like this:

On the Week 1 pass to Engram, Lawrence noticed that Colts cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. — who was supposed to be responsible for a deep third — was awfully quick to ditch his job and help make the tackle.

Here’s the play in full:

Kirk was left with a ton of space in front of him after Baker came down, but the ball was already on its way to Engram. So what if, given the same opportunity, Lawrence hit the Colts with a pump fake? Would Baker crash down again, leaving Kirk running free?

Yep, he sure would.

“I thought I had a little tell on just if I can set outside, get this corner to tie down,” Lawrence said. “He’s really the three deep, the deep third player. If he ties down, there’s really no one left for Christian. That’s what we talked about this week.

“That was something that I felt really confident that we would get. I showed him all the clips. It honestly happened exactly how we thought it would, it doesn’t always work that way when you think something is going to work. It was cool that it happened that way today.”

According to Kirk, it was an idea that came straight from the 24-year-old quarterback himself.

“I’ll give Trevor his flowers on this one. I know he is proud of it too,” Kirk said in the locker room after the game. “He brought me into the room and was like, ‘When we call this be ready, I’m going to pump the—we call it a hang route—and then I am going to be able to find a window.’

“We got the exact same look, he pumped the hang route and was able to and put it on me right in the area of the defense, in the void, and take advantage of that opportunity. He did a great job being able to see that, identifying it and telling the coaches that that is what he wanted to do and putting it in the end zone.”

Six games into the 2023 season, Lawrence now has seven touchdown passes with three interceptions.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Stock report from Colts’ Week 3 win over Ravens

Here’s the stock report from the Colts’ big win over the Ravens in Week 3.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) gutted out a tough win on the road in Week 4, defeating the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at M&T Bank Stadium in a 22-19 upset victory.

Without Anthony Richardson and Ryan Kelly, the Colts offense was still able to keep pace with the Ravens thanks to a stellar performance from the entire front seven on the defensive side of the ball. It also helped that the signing of Matt Gay this offseason proved to pay massive dividends.

When taking stock of a player’s performance, it’s best to be fluid. A player’s stock will fall and rise throughout the season so none of this is set in stone. However, it is important to take note of the narratives and storylines taking place as the campaign progresses.

A player’s stock can be impacted by factors such as their performance or the type of snaps they receive during the games.

Here’s a look at the stock report for the Colts following the Week 3 win:

Stock report from Colts’ 31-20 win over Texans

Taking a look at the stock report from the Colts’ 31-20 win over the Texans.

The Indianapolis Colts (1-1) put together a pretty complete game in the 31-20 victory over the Houston Texans (0-2) in Week 2 at NRG Stadium.

Even though rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson exited the game after the first quarter due to a concussion, Shane Steichen’s offense kept rolling with Gardner Minshew under center. Meanwhile, the front seven collected 6.0 sacks and nine quarterback hits on Texans rookie C.J. Stroud.

When taking stock of a player’s performance, it’s best to be fluid. A player’s stock will fall and rise throughout the season so none of this is set in stone. However, it is important to take note of the narratives and storylines taking place as the campaign progresses.

A player’s stock can be impacted by factors such as their performance or the type of snaps they receive during the games.

Here’s a look at the stock report for the Colts following the Week 2 win: