As good as the Arizona Cardinals’ offense has been recently, I’ve been impressed by their defense over the last three weeks.
Since week 8, they’re sixth in EPA per play allowed, eighth in Success Rate allowed. As their three safety defense begins to really get set, a player that has stood out every time I watch the Cardinals’ defense is safety Budda Baker. Per Sports Information Solutions, Baker is second in the NFL in tackles at 100 (!), seven tackles for loss and the lynchpin behind making this defense work. He’s playing at an All-Pro level for a Cardinals defense that needs his chaos, and that’s pretty awesome. So let’s dig into what makes Baker so special, and how this defense has unleashed him—but in order to do that, we gotta take it back to Ames, Iowa.
Back in 2022, I wrote about the Iowa State 3-safety defense, and how it could potentially make its’ way into the NFL. I was initially a little worried about if the defense would struggle against condensed sets at the NFL level, but optimistic that teams could just mold it with their personnel. Well, the Cardinals have played a three-high defense for a majority of the season, and while they’ve struggled in areas in the run game, what they’ve done is gotten their best players on the field.
Normally, the best player for the three-high defense is the middle safety, the star. He’s the equalizer, the top of the triangle between the linebackers and secondary and allow for the backers to either play slow or run fast downhill in the run game. Enter Baker, the best equalizer in the game. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis unleashes Baker in the run game to help equalize the bodies in the box, bringing him from depth to cause problems in the run game. Baker has always been a menace coming downhill, but his instincts in the run game have really stood out this season.
This play against the Bears shows how this defense aligns itself in the 3-high shell, and how Baker is unleashed here. The motion brings Baker across, so you can see how he’s the player that helps the defense keep their numbers equal. Then, on the snap the Bears run a toss play, and Baker flies like a bat out of hell to make this tackle for one yard. Incredible play, by a kickass player.
Because the Jets played a bit more 12 personnel, the Cardinals spent more time in their base defense, but it allowed for Baker to be closer to the line of scrimmage. You can see the amount of time he studies the game and his opponents, because he’s moving on this zone run before anyone else is. Because of the bigger bodies up front holding the gaps, Baker is able to fly in and cause problems on purpose.
What he does to Davante Adams here is, in a word, foul. The Jets are running zone again, and Baker hits Adams with a stutter-swipe that would make a defensive lineman jealous. He’s in the backfield making the play before the RB can even get a chance to make the play! Side note, this is incredible run defense by EDGE Jesse Luketa and LB Kyzir White. This is winning football right here.
In the passing game, Baker finds himself more often than not the Tampa defender in their Tampa 2 coverage, running down the middle of the field instead of a slower linebacker, but when the Cardinals unleash him on blitzes, he’s a menace. The Cardinals send everyone and their grandmother on this blitz, and because RB Breece Hall picks the LB up on the blitz, Baker has a free run to light Aaron Rodgers up like a Christmas tree. Chaos mode ENGAGE!
The Cardinals are undermanned, in year two of their rebuild, but are still at the top of the NFC West behind a dynamic offense and a defense that can get splash plays like this from Baker. I love watching their 3-high defense solve the problems that the NFL faces them with, and as the secondary grows and the front adds bigger bodies, their future is something I’m excited about.
Baker is a free agent after this season, but if Rallis and the Cardinals want to keep running this defense, he’s the critical piece they need to keep.
