Kansas City Chiefs cut former first round pick Deandre Baker

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater08/07/22

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Peter Aiken | Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs have cut cornerback Deandre Baker’s time with the franchise short. The team announced earlier today that they’d officially cut Baker ahead of the preseason after he played eight games for them in 2021.

Dov Kleiman had the report earlier today on the former first round pick out of Georgia.

Kansas City utilized Baker last season after calling him up from their practice squad. He was an asset during their run to the AFC title game last season with 16 tackles and a pass deflection. Offseason upgrades to the position with Lonnie Johnson Jr. and three draft picks at corner eventually made Baker expendable.

Before his time in Kansas City, Baker spent one season with the New York Giants after they drafted him 30th overall in 2019. He had 15 starts with 61 tackles and 8 pass deflections over his rookie season. However, the franchise was forced to release him after he was charged with four counts of armed robbery.

Baker, who’s a few weeks from his 25th birthday, still has time to find his way to another team in the near future. It just won’t be in Kansas City as expected as he’ll have to wait and see where his next stop is.

Deandre Baker was one of the best cover corners in college football when he suited up for the Georgia Bulldogs

His final season with the Georgia Bulldogs, Baker established himself as the nation’s very best at the defensive back position. He garnered first-team All-American honors from several different media outlets across the country. On top of that, the former Bulldog standout was named the 2018 Jim Thorpe Award winner – given to the nation’s top defensive back. That season, he racked up two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2015 class, Baker was rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 65 cornerback in America. A product of Miami Northwestern High School (Miami, Florida), he attended the same high school as Teddy Bridgewater and Amari Cooper.