Baker recorded eight tackles (four solo) in Monday's 17-15 win over the Chargers.
The safety also played on every defensive snap for the fifth time in seven games this season. Baker has 67 tackles (42 solo) and a pass defensed on the year.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Active in loss
Rotowire
Baker recorded eight tackles (four solo) in Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Packers.
The safety also played on every defensive snap for the fourth time in six games. Baker has 60 tackles (38 solo) on the year, tied for third most in the league.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Logs 12 tackles vs. Niners
Rotowire
Baker tallied 12 tackles (eight solo) in Sunday's 24-23 win over the 49ers.
Baker once again led the Cardinals in tackling Sunday, as he registered double-digit tackles for the third time this season. He continues to be an integral part of Arizona's defense, as he was on the field for every single defensive snap, the third time he's done so this season. Baker is up to 52 combined tackles on the year, which leads the Cardinals and is fourth-most in the NFL.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Leads Cards with 14 tackles
Rotowire
Baker logged 14 tackles (10 solo) during Sunday's 42-14 loss to the Commanders.
Baker registered 14 total tackles Sunday for the fifth time of his career, and his 10 solo tackles were his most since Week 13 of the 2020 season. The 2017 second-round pick played every single defensive snap for the second time this season, even as the Cardinals found themselves down large in the fourth quarter. Baker's 26 solo tackles this season is tied with Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen for sixth most in the NFL.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Full practice participant Thursday
Rotowire
Baker (quadriceps) was a full participant in Thursday's practice session.
Baker was limited in Wednesday's session due to a quadriceps injury he picked up in Week 3 against the Lions. He was able to practice without restrictions Thursday, and he should be good to go for Sunday's game against the Commanders. Through the first three games of the regular season, Baker has totaled 25 tackles (16 solo) and one pass defended.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Registers 10 tackles vs. Buffalo
Rotowire
Baker recorded 10 tackles (four solo) in Sunday's 34-28 loss to the Bills.
Baker was the second-leading tackler for the Cardinals on Sunday behind Kyzir White, and the duo joined corner Sean Murphy-Bunting and strong safety Jalen Thompson as the only defenders to play all 58 defensive snaps. Baker played in 100 percent of Arizona's defensive snaps in 11 of 12 regular-season games in 2023, and he continued that trend in the opening contest of the 2024 season.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Falls short of 100 tackles in 2023
Rotowire
Baker accumulated 87 tackles across 12 regular-season games in 2023.
Since opening his career with 74 tackles as a second-round rookie in 2017, Baker reached the century mark in the category in five of the next six campaigns, but falling short of that in the most recent season isn't shocking considering he was on injured reserve Weeks 2-6. His prorated (to 17 games) tackle count was 123, which would have been the second most to his actual tally of 147 from 2019. Otherwise, Baker didn't notch any sacks for the second year in a row and snapped his run of multiple interceptions at three seasons. He has one year remaining on his current contract, so a bounceback may be in the offing as he seeks another big payday.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Double-digit tackles in loss
Rotowire
Baker recorded 10 tackles (seven solo) in Sunday's 27-16 loss to the Bears.
Baker was able reach double-digit stops for the third time this season and first time since Week 10. The safety has remained one of the most productive at his position this year, racking up 73 tackles over the 10 contests he's appeared in so far.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Iffy for Sunday due to illness
Rotowire
Baker was a late addition to the Cardinals' injury report and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers due to an illness, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Given that he was omitted from the injury reports issued Wednesday through Friday, Baker presumably came down with an illness at some point Saturday. The Cardinals will likely wait and see how the veteran safety bounces back from the illness over the next few hours before making a call on his status when the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. If Baker is unable to play, Arizona could turn to Joey Blount or Andre Chachere to replace him in the starting lineup.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Has another good showing
Rotowire
Baker recorded eight tackles (six solo) in Sunday's 24-10 win at Pittsburgh.
Baker posted eight-plus tackles for the fourth time in his last five games in Week 13. He's been on a tear since missing five of Arizona's first six games to start the season, and he'll be a great IDP option after the Cardinals' bye in Week 14.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Returning to practice
Rotowire
Arizona designated Baker (hamstring) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The transaction opens up a 21-day window during which the Cardinals must either add Baker to the 53-man roster or choose to leave the safety on IR for the remainder of the season. The Cardinals will likely see how Baker fares in practice this week before determining if he's fit to play in Sunday's game at Seattle. Baker was a top-performing IDP option when available in 2022, finishing with 111 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble over 15 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Placed on injured reserve
Rotowire
Baker (hamstring) was placed on IR on Monday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Baker injured his hamstring in practice Friday and missed the team's Week 2 loss to the Giants. He'll now be out until at least the team's Oct. 22 matchup against the Rams in Week 7. The news is certainly a blow to the Cardinals defense, which had been competitive up until a second-half collapse in Week 2. Andre Chachere should continue to draw the start at safety in Baker's absence.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Another outing with 10-plus tackles
Rotowire
Baker racked up 10 tackles and a pass defense during Monday's 38-10 defeat to the 49ers.
Baker was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain after Week 9, a diagnosis that typically is accompanied by an absence of some sort. However, he's been able to play through the pain, following an 80 percent snap share Week 10 with all of the defensive snaps Monday. Baker now has reached double-digit stops in three of the last four contests, pushing him to 12th in the NFL with 85. As a result, he's upholding his standing as one of the top-tier IDPs.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Cleared for Monday
Rotowire
Baker doesn't have an injury designation for Monday's matchup against the 49ers, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Baker didn't practice Thursday due to a lingering ankle injury, progressed to a limited participant Friday and was full go Saturday, putting him in line to play Monday. He played through the issue in Week 10 and recorded four tackles and one interception but saw a season-low 80 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: DNP on Thursday
Rotowire
Baker (ankle) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Despite coming out of Week 9 action with a high-ankle sprain, Baker only needed one limited session last week to be able to suit up this past Sunday at the Rams, where he took on a smaller snap share than normal (80 percent) and recorded four tackles and his first interception of the season. He's kicking off Week 11 prep with a DNP, but he'll have two more opportunities to mix into drills ahead of Monday's contest against the 49ers in Mexico City. Whether or not he does so remains to be seen, but Chris Banjo and inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons would be the candidates to cover for an absent Baker at free safety.
Baker (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
According to Urban, head coach Kliff Kingsbury said earlier this week that there was a "zero percent" chance of Baker playing against the Rams, but the Cardinals are apparently now leaving the door open for the safety to suit up this weekend after he practiced in a limited capacity Friday. That being said, Kingsbury said Friday that the team will be "really smart" in determining Baker's status for this week, but it's at least encouraging for the 26-year-old's long-term prospects that he has been upgraded to questionable.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Logs eight more tackles Sunday
Rotowire
Baker recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble during Sunday's 20-12 defeat to the Rams.
Baker (27 tackles) and fellow safety Jalen Thompson (26) continue to pace the Cardinals in stops, and Baker's forced fumble of Rams running back Cam Akers was recovered by Thompson. Baker and Thompson thus are the Cardinals' safest lineup plays in IDP formats on a weekly basis, with both on pace for 145-plus tackles for a 17-game slate.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Exits on stretcher
Rotowire
Baker will not return to Monday's game against the Rams after suffering a concussion, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Baker went low to take down Cam Akers on a run late in the third quarter, and he landed awkwardly on the turf as a result. He remained down for several minutes and was ultimately stretchered off the field. Chris Banjo will likely have to step into an expanded role in Baker's absence.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Puts in limited practice Thursday
Rotowire
Baker (ribs) was limited at Thursday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
One day removed from not logging any practice reps, Moore made his presence felt on the practice field. After a huge 13-tackle performance this past Saturday against the Cardinals, he only needs nine stops to reach 100 for a fourth consecutive campaign. Fortunately, with this season slightly longer than in the past, Baker has two opportunities instead of one to reach that threshold. First, though, he must prove that his rib injury won't impede him ahead of Sunday's contest in Dallas.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Budda Baker: Suiting up in Week 11
Rotowire
Baker (heel) is listed as active Sunday at Seattle, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Baker has been banged up the past few weeks, dealing with a concussion and knee and heel injuries. He managed just one limited session during Week 11 prep, but it was enough for him man his typical role as Arizona's starting free safety. On the season, Baker has accumulated 59 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in 10 appearances.
