Getty Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals.
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best defensive lines in football, but the team’s secondary is currently ranked 27th in the league. Should they make a move to add a difference-maker like, say, Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals?
Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler has cooked up a trade proposal that would send Philadelphia’s 2024 second-round pick, its 2025 third-round pick and 24-year-old defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu to Arizona in exchange for Baker.
“A three-level defender, Baker isn’t afraid to carry pass-catchers in man or attack alleys in the run game. He would provide a pop behind his pads that Eagles fans haven’t seen from the safety spot since Brian Dawkins was in town,” Fowler wrote on October 3.
Budda Baker Would Give Eagles More Fearsome Safety Group
It’s still too early to know which teams are legit contenders & which are truly bad, but teams are beginning to get an idea of where they stand
Players who are on “bad” teams that the #Eagles should try & trade for:
Brian Burns
Budda Baker
Jerry Jeudy
Pat Surtain II
Mike Evans
The Eagles selected safety Sydney Brown in the third round of the draft this year, and he has played well despite battling a recent hamstring injury. Reed Blankenship is the best player the Eagles currently have at safety, with Justin Evans also starting opposite Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds behind Evans on the depth chart.
Adding a player like Baker to that group would unquestionably put it over the top and also allow for the safeties to play where they’re most comfortable. Cornerback James Bradberry, who is best playing on the outside, has been playing in the slot, and Brown has filled in a bit there, too. Baker’s presence alone would help shore the middle of the field for Philadelphia.
“Although the Eagles selected Sydney Brown with a third-round pick this spring, Baker is a win-now type of defender whose aggressiveness and throwback style of play would fit seamless into Sean Desai’s defensive architecture,” Fowler noted. “With more than $47 million in cap space to work with next offseason, the Eagles could even extend Baker if they see fit.”
Budda Baker Is Connected to Recent Trade Rumors
Kyle Hamilton’s top 5 safeties in the NFL
1. Derwin James
2. Minkah Fitzpatrick
3. Justin Simmons
4. Budda Baker
5. Harrison Smith
Is Baker worth future second- and third-round picks in addition to Tuipulotu? He could be. A former second-round pick himself, Baker is 27 and still in the prime of his career. He has missed time to start the season, landing on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. Baker had never missed more than two games during any of his previous six seasons, so he’s usually incredibly durable.
He has also been at the center of recent trade buzz.
NFL insider Matt Lombardo of FanBuzz named Baker a potential trade candidate on September 28, noting Baker “could give a contending team’s secondary a significant boost for the stretch run,” and that sounds exactly like what Philly needs.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Baker has been named a first-team All-Pro twice (as a rookie in 2017 and again in 2020). In 15 starts last season, Baker amassed 111 total tackles (one for loss), a forced fumble, seven pass breakups and two interceptions.
He is also a rare safety who is both excellent against the run and reliable in pass coverage. With the NFL’s trade deadline approaching on October 31, the veteran safety could be a player to keep an eye on.