Cardinals' Budda Baker has enough technique to tackle anybody
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker didn't just appear, he emerged into elitism after years of dedication to perfecting his tackling technique and ball-hawking mechanics. Baker's output was exclamatory in 2024, ranking No. 2 in solo tackles with a total of 95 and two sacks to go alongside.
As Baker enters his ninth NFL season, he will take on a heighten leadership role where he will look to admonish rookie defensive back Will Johnson and bring other new faces on the defensive side of the ball into cohesion with team protocol. Baker's dynamic deployability allows defensive coordinator Nick Rallis to play aggressive and use intense blitz schemes to rattle opponents. Ideally, Rallis may plan to use more man coverage blitz schemes this season that will require his defensive personnel to be able to make open field tackles and this is where Baker excels extremely.
Whether behind the line of scrimmage, inside the box versus the run or needing to make tackles at the third level of the defense, Baker surely knows how to get it done. With 12.5 stuffs last season, NFL analysis should have a strong enough indicator of just how special of a tackler Baker is at the safety position.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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