The Arizona Cardinals may not be having the kind of season anyone hoped for, but Budda Baker is still doing Budda Baker things.
That’s why the veteran safety has popped up in trade chatter ahead of the November deadline. In a Week 7 feature for CBS Sports, Jordan Dajani put together a wish list of five players he’d "like to see get a change of scenery." He made clear it was more of a wish list than a prediction, but Baker was on it.
Baker has been one of the Cardinals’ biggest hits since they took him No. 36 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has reached that stage eight times overall.
"Not many players have made 1,000 tackles before age 30. Just Bobby Wagner, Roquan Smith, Luke Kuechly, Lavonte David, Ray Lewis, Fred Warner and... Budda Baker," he adds.
Dajani also pointed to Baker’s impact in Arizona’s surprising win over the Los Angeles Rams. He finished that game with six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one pass defensed, per Dajani.
"He stopped at least one touchdown from being scored, and he was effective in blitzing the quarterback and stopping the running backs. Someone come get him," he adds.
As for possible landing spots, Dajani named the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars as fits for Baker. Cardinals fans wouldn’t want to lose him, but the idea is that a blockbuster deal could make sense for both sides.
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Mike LaFleur Loved The Win But Knows Cardinals Have A Problem
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Josh Sweat Suddenly Sits At Center Of Cardinals Trade Debate
The NFL trade deadline chatter around edge rushers already had a familiar ring to it, but Josh Sweats name is suddenly part of it in a way Cardinals fans will notice. ESPN reported that the Cowboys are exploring another possible move before the deadline, and league sources pointed to Sweat as a logical target for a Dallas defense looking for help up front. For Arizona, it is the kind of attention that comes with having a productive pass rusher on the roster, even if nothing has advanced beyond speculation.
Sweats situation is what makes this more interesting than a routine rumor mill entry. He is not a short-term stopgap, which means any conversation would carry more weight than a simple rental deal, and that naturally raises the stakes for a Cardinals team trying to balance present value with longer-term plans. For now, though, there is no confirmed trade and no indication of where the talks might go, leaving his status as one of the more closely watched names heading toward the deadline. [Read more 🡒]