When the Arizona Cardinals selected Isaiah Simmons eighth overall in the NFL draft last month, versatility was discussed at length. He played a number of positions for Clemson last year.
The Cardinals actually already had a player on their defense with similar versatility. That would be safety Budda Baker.
NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund used analytics to determine the most underappreciated player on each team in the NFC. Baker made the list for the Cardinals, despite being a Pro Bowler.
He played all over the field for the Cardinals last season.
I challenge you to find a player who was more versatile than Baker in 2019. Next Gen Stats shows the following snap distribution for Baker (this is about to become a meaty sentence): 647 snaps at safety, 174 as an outside linebacker, 155 as a slot corner, 39 at inside linebacker, 31 as an edge defender, 12 at left corner and 10 on the right. That’s 1,068 snaps that pretty much required him to be a defensive coordinator on the field. My spatial model shows that Baker’s ability to stop and/or limit runs when he was playing safety ranked 12th best in the NFL last season. With their smart offseason acquisitions, including No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons, who also has a versatile college resume, the Cardinals’ defense figures to be much more efficient in 2020.
Baker was fantastic against the run. He obviously isn’t too underappreciated because he made it to the Pro Bowl. He still has room for improvement, too, as he still has not had an interception in his career (although he has had one in the preseason and one in the Pro Bowl).
With Baker and Simmons on the field, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have two players who can do a bunch of things. Baker is great against the run. Simmons is expected to be great in coverage. It is a perfect blend.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 267
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