Giants Player Profile | DeAndre Baker, CB
2019 Season Rewind
General manager Dave Gettleman sent three draft picks--his own second, a fourth and a fifth--to the Seahawks for the rights to the No. 30 overall pick in last year's draft so that he could acquire DeAndre Baker from the University of Georgia to compete and hold down one of the starting cornerback spots.
But almost from the start, Baker had struggles, some his own doing and some out of his control. A sprained left knee suffered midway through training camp severely cut into his practice reps, rendering him a question mark for the start of the 2019 season.
In his first game, he shared the perimeter cornerback duties with Antonio Hamilton with poor results. By Week 2, Hamilton saw his perimeter duties removed, and Baker was on his own, for better or for worse, playing in no less than 96 percent of the defensive snaps.
To say he struggled would be a fair statement. In his first ten games, Baker was ranked last out of 113 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus, as he yielded a 149.9 passer rating on pass targets against him.
But along the way, there were questions regarding how prepared Baker was for each week's game plan, and if he was putting in the work to excel at the NFL level.
Baker had given up 629 receiving yards, third-most in the league, in the first half of his rookie season, along with six touchdowns, tied for second-most in the league.
After more than half a season of lowlights capped off by a game-defining 47-yard catch-and-run by New York Jets wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in Week 10, some predicted that Baker was headed for the bench.
When the Giants returned to action in Week 12 at Soldier Field against the Chicago bears, Baker was relegated to a lesser role as he saw only 75 percent of defensive snaps.
But Baker, who by this time was said to be feeling better from his knee injury, rewarded the Giants' faith in him with one of his best performances in which he didn't allow a pass target to be completed.
Baker's turnaround against Chicago proved to be a turning point for his season as he finished the final six games of the season, only allowing 48.5 percent of the pass targets against him to be completed.
Much was expected of Baker in his second season, as he was to team up with veteran James Bradberry at the other cornerback and safeties Jabrill Peppers and Xavier McKinney.
But that all allegedly changed on the night of May 13.
Looking Ahead
As fans know, Baker is currently facing accusations of armed robbery and aggravated assault stemming from a social gathering in Miramar, Florida.
Even if Baker is cleared of all charges in time for training camp, his future is not necessarily assured with the Giants, as new head coach Joe Judge looks to build a distraction-free locker room.
The Giants have told Baker to stay away from the team's on-going virtual off-season program in which they have been installing the new schemes on offense and defense. That's valuable classroom time that Baker is missing that could benefit him were he to play in 2020.
With all that said, Baker hasn't given up hope that he'll be on an NFL field this year. He has predicted himself to return, posting several videos of his Rocky-style training on Instagram to erase any doubts about his dedication.
And one of his attorneys, Patrick Patel, has said that Baker has been scared straight by the incident.
Still, there is a lot that needs to happen for Baker to get back on the field. Even if he is cleared of all the charges, there is the question of any NFL discipline he might have to face.
And then there is also the question if the Giants will want him on a team that desperately can't afford to have any sideshows as it looks to launch the Joe Jude era on the right foot.
Off-field issues aside, there is much to like about Baker's game. Despite being undersized, his combined offerings of timing, aggressiveness, and ability to keep up with receivers are the traits that warranted a first-round selection in 2019.
Baker's natural football instincts would make him a valued part of the pass and run defense if he can learn the playbook and start to apply his skills effectively.
Overall, Baker still presents value as a roster piece for the Giants. Losing the former first-rounder would be a significant blow to the Giants given what they gave up to get him, but this is a decision the team must weigh very carefully.
