The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t having very good injury luck in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
First, the team lost rookie LB Willie Gay Jr. to a leg/ankle injury early in the game. Now, it appears they’ve lost another promising young player in CB DeAndre Baker to a nasty non-contact leg injury. Baker was running with Chargers WR Jalen Guyton and one of his feet got caught in the turf causing his knee to twist and buckle. He had to be carted off the field, not in the typical green cart either, but something where he could be immobilized on a stretcher. When Baker left the field he raised his finger, pointing to the sky as he was taken off the field.
Chiefs CB Deandre Baker points to the sky as he was taken off of the field on a stretcher 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3OMv43hj6D
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 3, 2021
The Chiefs jumped at the opportunity to sign Baker to the practice squad after a tumultuous offseason saw him cut by the New York Giants. The former first-round draft pick decided to bet on himself with a one-year deal, hoping to start anew in Kansas City. He had been trending in the right direction, with a possibility of being signed to the 53-man roster during the postseason.
This marked his first non-special teams action of the year for the Chiefs, though he’d been elevated to the 53-man roster in each of the past two weeks. This week he was a COVID-19 replacement for LB Anthony Hitchens. Baker made an impact early on in the game with a near-interception and a sack. He also had five total tackles on the day, which was third on the team at the point he was injured.
