Tag: deandre baker

Giants earn C in 2019 NFL draft re-grade

In a Bleacher Report re-grade of the 2019 NFL draft, the New York Giants earn just a “C.”

In yet another ‘re-draft’ of the 2019 NFL draft, the New York Giants don’t fare well as time passes. Maurice Moten of Bleacher Report gives them a ‘C’ grade in his latest loopback on one of the most critical drafts in recent Giants history.

General manger Dave Gettleman made several grave errors, selecting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones No. 6 overall and then traded back into the first round to take Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker, who washed out amid legal troubles.

The Jones pick can still be salvaged if he plays well this season and finally put the franchise’s mind at ease after three inconsistent years.

As a rookie, Jones showed flashes, throwing for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but his passing yards and touchdown totals have been on the decline thereafter. Though the athletic signal-caller has rushed for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns, he’s had some ball-security issues with 36 fumbles, losing 20 of them. The Giants declined to pick up the fifth-year option in rookie his deal.

The Giants waived Deandre Baker before the 2020 season as he faced robbery charges, but Florida prosecutors dropped those charges.

Third-round pick Oshane Ximines — the first player ever drafted out of Old Dominion – has also yet to establish himself.

Minnesota linebacker Ryan Connelly injured his knee right after becoming a starter and was later released. The sixth-round pick, Washburn cornerback Corey Ballentine, and the two seventh rounders (Syracuse defensive lineman Chris Slayton and Kentucky offensive tackle George Asafo-Adjei), all had very short Giants careers.

Gettleman did hit on a few of his picks, though. Clemson defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence — taken No. 17 overall with one of the picks the Giants received in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade — has become a reliable and steady presence and the team recently exercised his fifth year option.

Fourth rounder Julian Love, a safety from Notre Dame, has become a starter, and Auburn wideout Darius Slayton, selected in the fifth-round, has had some success.

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Giants select WR Terry McLaurin in 2019 NFL re-draft

In a 2019 NFL re-draft conducted by Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants pass on QB Daniel Jones and instead select WR Terry McLaurin.

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With the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, the New York Giants selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. However, if they were able to travel back in time and do things over, Pro Football Focus believes Big Blue would go in a different direction.

Trevor Sikkema of PFF recently conducted a re-draft and in it, the Giants nab wide receiver Terry McLaurin with their first pick in Round 1.

At the time, the Giants still had Eli Manning on the roster, but the then-38-year-old was in the last year of his contract and had led the team to a 5-11 record the season before. New York needed a quarterback, but re-drafting one here wouldn’t be fun.

Instead, I’ll anger the entire Washington fanbase by giving the Giants a player who should have gone top 10 in this class. McLaurin has averaged more than 1,000 yards a year through his first three NFL seasons. There’s plenty of reason to believe this upcoming campaign will be the best yet for McLaurin.

At No. 17 overall, Sikkema has the Giants remaining consistent and staying with defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.

The Giants still would have this pick, as it wasn’t a draft-day trade; this was the selection they received in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. They took Lawrence here back in 2019, and that’s still the right choice in this re-draft. The bigger-bodied Lawrence recorded a 73.3 pass-rushing grade in 2021, which was the fifth-best of any defensive lineman in the class.

As fans might recall, the Giants later traded back into Round 1 in order to draft cornerback Deandre Baker. That, of course, did not work out and Sikkema does not have them repeating history. Instead, the Green Bay Packers stay at No. 30 and select safety Darnell Savage.

Jones, meanwhile, falls out of the first round.

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Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker signs ERFA tender

The last of the #Chiefs’ three exclusive rights free agents has signed his contract tender.

In early March, the Kansas City Chiefs extended a qualifying contract offer to cornerback DeAndre Baker, an exclusive rights free agent. On Friday, Baker officially signed that contract, according to the NFL’s personnel notice. This is merely a formality ensuring he’ll be back with the team for the 2022 season.

ERFAs are veteran free agents who have yet to accrue three seasons in the NFL. Their original team holds exclusive negotiating rights. If an ERFA is tendered a qualifying contract offer by his team prior to free agency, he is unable to refuse that offer. He can reach unrestricted free agency only if the team declines to extend a qualifying offer or pulls the qualifying offer.

Baker, who has accrued two NFL seasons, was expected to get a one-year deal worth $925,000. Salaries for ERFAs are typically very low, amounting to very little in terms of salary cap impact.

The Chiefs first signed Baker to the practice squad in 2020. He was promoted to the 53-man roster via standard elevation twice that year. Baker suffered a serious noncontact leg fracture in the final game of the regular season. He appeared in eight games last season, including a start in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In total, he played a combined 238 snaps on defense in the regular season and postseason, recording 16 total tackles and a pass defensed.

Baker should be in the mix for more playing time in 2022. With injuries to Rashad Fenton, Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams, it’s possible that Baker works his way onto the first team early in training camp.

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Giants downgraded to ‘C’ in 2019 NFL draft re-grade

In a re-grade of the 2019 NFL draft, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports downgrades the New York Giants to a “C.”

It’s been four years since the New York Giants made quarterback Daniel Jones the No. 6 overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft.

So, how does that pick and the nine others they made that weekend fare here in the spring of 2022? CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco takes a look back.

New York Giants
2019 Grade: B+

The Skinny: The Giants had 10 picks in the draft, with only three as projected starters in 2022. They are first-round quarterback Daniel Jones, first-round defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and fourth-round safety Julian Love. They got little else from this draft with a major miss on first-round corner Deandre Baker. Fifth-round receiver Darius Slayton has worked out.

How I did: I liked the pick of Jones, although I did say he went a little higher than I would have taken him. I also liked the pick of Lawrence, saying he could be a force. He has been good, but not a force. I questioned the pick of third-round rusher Oshane Ximines, which played true since he’s been mostly a backup.

New Grade: C

The class isn’t as bad as one could make it out to be. If Jones pans out it will be deemed a success especially now since the team exercised Lawrence’s fifth-year option and Love developed into a starter.

Let’s not forget that they got Slayton and linebacker Ryan Connelly in the fifth round in this draft. Slayton had been very productive up until last year and Connelly was on his way to become a starter before blowing out his knee.

One stain that won’t go away, however, is the miscalculation surrounding Baker. The Giants traded three picks to Seattle to move up for Baker only to have him wash out. Experts at the time thought hey could have waited until Round 2 to select Baker and kept the fourth and fifth rounders they give up in the deal.

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Giants running low on time as fifth-year option decisions loom

Time is ticking and the New York Giants will soon need to make fifth-year option decisions on QB Daniel Jones and DL Dexter Lawrence.

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In 2019, the New York Giants made three picks in the first round of the NFL draft. They took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6, Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence 17th and Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker at No. 30.

The time has come to make decisions on those first round picks’ fifth-year options. Baker is no longer with the team having blown up his Giants’ career early on with legal issues, but Jones and Lawrence appear to be in the team’s plans, at least for the short-term.

The fifth-year options on the 2019 draft class are due next Monday, May 2, but the Giants have yet to act on either of their eligible players.

Jones has been declared the team’s starter and the new coaching staff is giving him a chance to prove his pedigree but appear to be unwilling to put that in writing.

Jones’ 2022 salary cap hit is $8.3 million but his 2023 fifth-year salary would balloon to $22.3 million. The Giants likely want to see if Jones is the real deal first, so it’s good business sense for them to decline the option and takes their chances with Jones in free agency next year.

Lawrence has been a solid presence in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line but, again, he was not drafted by the new regime and they will likely want to see that he can do in Wink Martindale’s new defense before committing.

Lawrence’s firth-year price tag would be $10.7 million.

Exercising fifth-year options is not a given. Of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, only six have either been exercised or believe will be exercised.

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Three former Georgia football players to attend 2022 NFL draft

Three Bulldogs are headed to Las Vegas.

Today, it was announced that the 2022 NFL draft, which will begin on April 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host 21 players. Included on that list are three of UGA’s former defensive stars: Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, and Devonte Wyatt.

According to multiple outlets, Davis, Dean, and Wyatt are all projected to be selected in the first or second round of the draft, and while they are not attending the event, Travon Walker, George Pickens and Lewis Cine also have a good opportunity to be chosen early.

Deandre Baker, a defensive back who played for the Bulldogs from 2015 to 2018, was the last Georgia player to attend the draft. Baker was selected by the New York Giants in the first round as the 30th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft.

This year, UGA has the opportunity to achieve a record number of first round draft picks, and considering the talent and skill of the available players, it would be not surprising if all five of them were taken off of the board during round one.

Check out the full list of attendees below:

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Chiefs could be landing spot for former Vikings CB Jeff Gladney

Acquitted from assault charges, former #Vikings CB Jeff Gladney makes plenty of sense for the #Chiefs.

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Could the Kansas City Chiefs pursue former Minnesota Vikings CB Jeff Gladney now that he has been cleared of felony charges?

Last August, Gladney was indicted on a felony assault charge. He was released by the Vikings just hours afterward. On Thursday, Gladney was acquitted of the charges by a jury in Dallas, Texas.

A former TCU standout, Gladney was drafted with pick No. 31 in the 2020 NFL draft, one pick prior to the Chiefs’ selection of RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The team showed interest in him ahead of the draft, hosting Gladney on one of their allotted virtual pre-draft visits.

The Chiefs are no stranger to giving players second chances, especially at the cornerback position. They did so with former first-round draft pick Deandre Baker, who was released by the New York Giants due to allegations of armed robbery. Baker was eventually cleared and eventually joined the Chiefs’ practice squad. He is going on his third season in Kansas City after being tendered as an exclusive rights free agent.

At the same time, the Chiefs tried to do the same thing with troubled CB Damon Arnette, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders. That didn’t last after he was arrested on a litany of charges in late January and subsequently released by Kansas City. This also speaks to the low-risk nature of these types of signings, though. If it doesn’t work out, you simply move on.

Gladney, 25, fits GM Brett Veach’s modus operandi and a one-year deal could be beneficial for both parties. The Chiefs have needs in the secondary with CB Charvarius Ward slated to hit free agency. Gladney needs to prove that he’s capable of staying out of trouble and playing at a high level in the NFL. The 5-10 and 191-pound corner played only his rookie season, starting 15-of-16 games in 2020, with 81 total tackles and a forced fumble on the year.

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Chiefs plan to tender qualifying offer to ERFA CB Deandre Baker

The #Chiefs plan to tender a qualifying offer to ERFA CB Deandre Baker prior to the start of the new league year according to a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs plan to tender at least one of their four exclusive rights free agents.

According to Kansas City Star beat writer Herbie Teope, the Chiefs will extend a qualifying offer to CB Deandre Baker before the start of the new league year. As an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA), the team is required to extend a qualifying offer before free agency otherwise Baker would become an unrestricted free agent.

The Chiefs added Deandre Baker to the practice squad in 2020 and promoted him to the 53-man roster via standard elevation twice. Baker suffered a serious non-contact leg fracture in the final game of the regular season, but he returned to health in 2021, appearing in eight games including one start in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In total, he played a combined 238 snaps on defense in the regular season and postseason.

With Charvarius Ward set to have a robust market in free agency, it makes plenty of sense to bring Baker back this season. He’ll likely compete for a starting role on the outside with a draft pick or another free agent signing. The team relied on him in a depth capacity this past offseason, so this will really be a chance for him to take a step forward in the system.

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Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker close to 100% healthy, out to prove he belongs in Kansas City

#Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker says he’s “pretty close” to 100% healthy. His goal for training camp: To show his teammates that he deserves to be here.

Kansas City Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker returned to the field on Saturday for the first time following a broken femur in Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season.

It was his first on-field action since suffering the season-ending injury, allowing him to gain some confidence prior to the arrival of veteran players on Monday. Speaking with reporters on Sunday, Baker revealed that he’s feeling near full-strength heading into training camp.

“Yeah, I’m pretty close to 100%,” Baker said. 

The injury wasn’t easy on Baker, who’d already faced other challenges in his NFL career. An off-field incident saw him released by the New York Giants — the team that drafted him. Facing an entirely new challenge with a significant injury, Baker credits the Chiefs’ training staff for getting him back to this point.

“It was definitely frustrating, but Rick (Burkholder) and his staff, man, they get in and work every day,” Baker said. “They got me to here and now I’m back on the field, ready to work.” 

It was tough on Baker, being sidelined during the Chiefs’ playoff run in 2020. His Week 17 start against the Chargers showed a lot of promise and while he didn’t know if he’d get an opportunity to play in the playoffs, he wanted to continue building that momentum with his new team.

“I mean there was a few things I could have done better, but overall I feel like I played well,” Baker said. “I could have did a lot of things better, though. Just a little bit of technique things that I have to clean up, that I’m working on today.”

This offseason, he’s done a lot of work to pick up where he left off. Even when he was still sidelined with his injury throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, he put in work to ensure that he could be at his best when he returned to the field.

“Oh yeah, I gained a lot from that,” Baker said. “I was in the meeting rooms and got a lot of mental reps, so whenever I’d be able to get on the field, I’d be able to help the team and I could be fluid with everything that we do.”

Now that he’s been back, he’s out to prove himself to the coaching staff and his teammates. He wants them to understand that he deserves the second chance he’s been given — that he can contribute to the team’s winning ways.

“I just want to help the team and just show the guys that I want to be here,” Baker said. “Come out there and work and show them that I deserve to be here.” 

That second chance is something that the former first-round draft pick doesn’t intend to take for granted.

“It means a lot to me,” Baker said. “The Chiefs gave me another chance at a phenomenal organization. I’m just here to work. I’m happy to be here.” 

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Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker practices for first time following broken femur

#Chiefs CB DeAndre Baker broke his femur last season against the #Chargers in Week 17. The former first-round draft pick returned to practice for the first time on Saturday.

Kansas City Chiefs rookies, quarterbacks and injured players reported to training camp on Friday, taking part in a closed practice on Saturday.

A total of 28 players were seen in action, with DE Malik Herring and DB Armani Watts still sidelined with their respective injuries. A total of three injured players returned to practice, with DE Taco Charlton and DB Juan Thornhill continuing to practice as they did at the end of mandatory minicamp. One injured player, however, made an anticipated return to action.

Cornerback DeAndre Baker took his first practice repetitions since the 2020 NFL season on Saturday. The former 2019 first-round draft pick was first signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad in November of last year. The New York Giants released the former Georgia Bulldog before he was cleared of allegations of an armed robbery.

Baker earned his first opportunity to play for Kansas City in Week 15, playing just a few snaps on special teams against the Saints. He’d see his biggest opportunity in Week 17, showing promise as a starter before suffering an improbable injury. Baker fractured his femur on a non-contact play, with a clean break that would end his year prematurely.

Baker was sidelined throughout OTAs and minicamp, continuing to rehab his injury. His return to action saw few limitations, even participating in 7-on-7 team drills according to KC Star beat reporter Sam McDowell. While this was a lighter padless practice, Baker’s return still signaled that he is trending toward full participation during training camp.

With questions at the cornerback position following the departure of Bashaud Breeland, the former first-round draft pick should have a big opportunity in front of him. Baker’s health and participation will be vital if he’s to seize that opportunity and make his mark on the Chiefs’ roster in 2021.

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