In a season that has taken a dark turn for the Arizona Cardinals in recent weeks, veteran safety Budda Baker has been a glimpse of light.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Cardinals (6-7,2-2) are on a three-game losing streak, knocking Arizona into third place in the NFC West. While many players have failed to show up in the losses, Baker has reached new heights. In the Cardinals 30-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (8-5,3-2), Baker recorded a career-high 18 tackles.
Career-high performance from Budda ????#ProBowlVote +@Buddabaker3 pic.twitter.com/N0FOSBHsCX
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 9, 2024
Baker’s remarkable output is a new single-game record for Arizona, surpassing Eric Green’s 15 tackles in a matchup with the St. Louis Rams (now the Los Angeles Rams) in 2005. His stat line was two tackles shy of Former New York Jets linebacker David Harris’ 20 tackles against the Washington Redskins (rebranded as the Washington Commanders) in 2007.
Cardinals defensive tackle Roy Lopez reminisced about watching Baker, an eight-year NFL veteran, back in high school.
“That’s gonna make him sound old,” Lopez said in a press conference Monday. “That’s crazy.”
Baker may be old in NFL years, but he certainly isn’t playing like it. He’s been the most reliable player for the Cardinals since he was drafted, and The Valley knows it.
“For as long as I lived in Arizona, I’ve seen Budda Baker jersey’s everywhere,” Lopez said. “To see that (amount of tackles), it’s just a number because that’s just the way he plays. He can do that weekly.”
"He's a dog man, he's different. He's a one-of-a-kind type of player"#ProBowlVote + @Buddabaker3 pic.twitter.com/QV0bM0D5dA
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 9, 2024
He may not be churning out 18-tackle games every week, but his 132 tackles on the season are nothing less than spectacular. Baker has recorded 10-plus tackles in six games this season. He’s made his way to backfield for two sacks this year and acquired 81 of his tackles on his own.
Arizona’s defensive leader is doing what he’s done for almost a decade, and with the 2024 Pro Bowl voting polls open, he could find himself in the game he’s played in on multiple occasions. Baker has made six Pro Bowls over the course of his career and could potentially make another.
If he is as loved in The Valley as Lopez says, with the year he is having, he could find himself in Orlando for the NFL’s all-star game once again. Pro Bowl voting closes Dec. 23.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
