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Jerome Baker (American football)

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Jerome Baker
No. 17 – Tennessee Titans
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-12-25) December 25, 1996 (age 27)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:Benedictine (Cleveland, Ohio)
College:Ohio State (2015–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 3 / pick: 73
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Total tackles:617
Sacks:23.5
Forced fumbles:7
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:23
Interceptions:5
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jerome Baker (born December 25, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State.

Early life

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Baker attended Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He was a member of the 2014 State Championship football team while at Benedictine[2] and was considered the #2 recruit in the state of Ohio for the class of 2015.[3] He originally committed to the University of Florida to play college football, but changed his commitment to Ohio State University.[4][5]

College career

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Baker played at Ohio State from 2015 to 2017.[6][7] After his junior season in 2017, he decided to forgo his senior year to enter the 2018 NFL draft.[8][9] During his career, he had 159 tackles, seven sacks, and two interceptions.[10]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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On January 8, 2018, Baker released a statement on his Twitter account announcing his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2018 NFL draft.[11] Baker attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. On March 22, he participated at Ohio State's pro day and performed the short shuttle, three-cone drill, and positional drills. Baker attended pre-draft visits with the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.[12] After the pre-draft process, Baker was projected to be a third or fourth-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the seventh-best linebacker in the draft by Sports Illustrated, was ranked the seventh-best outside linebacker by Scouts Inc., and was ranked the 12th best outside linebacker by DraftScout.com.[13][14][15]

External videos
video icon Jerome Baker's NFL Combine Workout
video icon Jerome Baker's 40-yard dash
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		229 lb
(104 kg) 		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m) 		10+3⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.53 s 1.60 s 2.68 s 4.15 s 6.93 s 36+1⁄2 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Ohio State's Pro Day[16][17]
External videos
video icon Dolphins draft Jerome Baker 73rd overall

Miami Dolphins

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2018

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The Miami Dolphins selected Baker in the third round with the 73rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.[18] Baker was the tenth linebacker selected.[19] He was reunited with former Ohio State teammate Raekwon McMillan.

On June 2, 2018, the Dolphins signed Baker to a four-year, $3.80 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $975,200.[20] Throughout training camp, Baker competed to be the starting strongside linebacker after the role was left vacant by the departure of Lawrence Timmons. Baker competed against Mike Hull, Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen, and Quentin Poling.[21] Head coach Adam Gase named Baker and Kiko Alonso the starting outside linebackers to begin the regular season. They started alongside middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan.[22]

He made his professional regular-season debut and first career start in the Dolphins' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans, and made six combined tackles during their 27–20 victory. In Week 4, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solos) as the Dolphins lost 38–7 at the New England Patriots. The following week, he recorded seven combined tackles and made two sacks during a 27–17 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.[23] On November 4, Baker made five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and caught his first career interception during the Dolphins' 13–6 win against the New York Jets in Week 9.[24] He finished his rookie season with 79 combined tackles (57 solos), three pass deflections, three sacks, one interception, and one touchdown in 16 games with 11 starts. Baker earned an overall grade of 70.3 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked as the 29th best among all qualified linebackers in 2018.[25]

2019

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In Week 2 against the Patriots, Baker recorded a team-high 12 tackles as the Dolphins lost 43–0.[26] In Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts, Baker recorded a team-high eight tackles and one sack on quarterback Brian Hoyer in the 16–12 win.[27] In Week 15 against the New York Giants, Baker recorded a team-high 12 tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by Eli Manning during the 36–20 loss.[28] He finished the 2019 season with 126 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and one interception.[29]

2020

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Baker was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Dolphins on July 31, 2020,[30] and activated from the list three days later.[31]

In Week 1 against the Patriots, Baker recorded a team-high 16 tackles (12 solo), sacked quarterback Cam Newton once, and forced wide receiver N'Keal Harry to fumble the football in the endzone for a touchback during the 21–11 loss.[32] In Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Baker led the team with 9 tackles and sacked Patrick Mahomes 2.5 times during the 33–27 loss. One of Baker's sacks on Mahomes resulted in a loss of 30 yards.[33]

2021

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Baker signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Dolphins on June 13, 2021.[34]

2023

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On January 9, 2024, the Dolphins placed Baker on injured reserve.[35] On March 5, Baker was released.[36] Contract negotiations between Miami and Baker had been proposed at the NFL Combine, but they fell through.[37]

Seattle Seahawks

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On March 16, 2024, Baker signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[38]

On July 18, 2024, Baker was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.[39] On July 23, he was activated from the PUP list after passing his physical.[40]

Tennessee Titans

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On October 23, 2024, Baker and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick was sent to the Tennessee Titans in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for Ernest Jones.[41][42]

References

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  1. ^ Axelrod, Ben (January 8, 2018). "Ohio State LB, former Benedictine star Jerome Baker declares for 2018 NFL Draft". WKYC. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "Benedictine football wins Division IV state championship with 21-14 victory over Kettering Archbishop Alter". cleveland.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  3. ^ "ESPN Football Recruiting - Player Rankings - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  4. ^ Wasserman, Ari (October 31, 2014). "How Benedictine's Jerome Baker told Ohio State's Urban Meyer 'No,' and why it turned to 'Yes': Buckeyes recruiting". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "The top recruit in Ohio flipped his commitment from Florida to Ohio State". SI.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "The 'real Baker' should be improved in second year as Ohio State starter". My Dayton Daily News. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Rabinowitz, Bill. "Ohio State football". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  8. ^ "OSU's Baker skipping senior year to enter draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  9. ^ May, Tim. "Jerome Baker declares for NFL draft". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  10. ^ "Jerome Baker College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Ohio State's Jerome Baker entering NFL draft". news-herald.com. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  12. ^ Hope, Dan (April 6, 2018). "Jerome Baker Reportedly Visits San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars". elevenwarriors.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "*Jerome Baker, DS #12 OLB, Ohio State". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "NFL Jerome Baker-ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ "The 2018 NFL Draft Big Board, Vol. 2". si.com. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "Jerome Baker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  17. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Jerome Baker College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  18. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. ^ "Miami Dolphins 2018 draft results: Third round selection is Jerome Baker". ThePhinsider.com. April 27, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  20. ^ "Spotrac.com: Jerome Baker contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  21. ^ "Dolphins rookie LB Jerome Baker says you won't think he's small once he hits you". dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com. May 12, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  22. ^ "Miami Dolphins reveal regular-season depth chart and we learned this". PalmBeachPost.com. September 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  23. ^ "Dolphins' Jerome Baker's Ohio homecoming dampened despite hitting a milestone". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  24. ^ "NFL Player stats: Jerome Baker (2018)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  25. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Jerome Baker". ProFootballFocus.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  26. ^ "Newcomer Brown scores as Patriots beat Dolphins 43-0". ESPN. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  27. ^ "Dolphins cash in on Colts turnovers, earn 2nd straight win". ESPN. Associated Press. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  28. ^ "Manning throws 2 TDs, Barkley scores 2, Giants end long skid". ESPN. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Jerome Baker 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  30. ^ Schad, Joe (July 31, 2020). "Miami Dolphins' Jerome Baker goes on COVID-19 list". PalmBeachPost.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  31. ^ "Dolphins Activate Jerome Baker, Awarded Picasso Nelson Jr". MiamiDolphins.com. August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  33. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins - December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  34. ^ "Miami Dolphins sign LB Jerome Baker to contract extension". MiamiDolphins.com. June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  35. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  36. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  37. ^ Kelly, Omar (March 5, 2024). "Dolphins release Jerome Baker to clear nearly $10 million in cap space". Sports Illustrated Miami Dolphins News, Analysis and More. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  38. ^ Horton, Ari (March 16, 2024). "Seahawks Sign LB Jerome Baker". Seahawks.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  39. ^ Boyle, John (July 18, 2024). "Seahawks Place Seven On Physically Unable To Perform List Ahead Of 2024 Training Camp". Seahawks.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  40. ^ Smith, Corbin K. (July 23, 2024). "Seattle Seahawks Activate Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson From PUP List". SI.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  41. ^ Patra, Kevin (October 23, 2024). "Seahawks trading Jerome Baker, fourth-round pick to Titans for Ernest Jones in linebacker swap". NFL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  42. ^ Boyle, John (October 23, 2024). "Seahawks Agree To Trade With Titans For LB Ernest Jones IV". NFL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
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