The Dolphins have officially signed cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern, Baker is a four-year pro who spent the last two years with the Tennessee Titans. There, he played in 34 games with 19 starts and assumed the role of top cover guy who matched up against the opponent's best wide receiver each week.
1. Earning it
Baker Jr. is a true success story in the NFL. He didn't break camp with the team that signed him after the draft in 2022, the Arizona Cardinals, but caught on with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster later that year and earned a one-year contract for his second NFL season. He was waived at the end of training camp in 2024 and claimed by Tennessee.
During his time in Tennessee, Baker Jr. led Titans cornerbacks in snaps played (1,349), passes defensed (12) and tackles on plays credited by in-depth analytics as a success for the defense (22).
2. Tale of the tape
Baker Jr. welcomes the physical nature of the game, and whether it's athletic testing or the tape itself, his game presents plenty of intrigue. In zone deployments, he keys the quarterback with peripheral vision on the route combination, allowing him to trigger downhill and make tackles on swings, screens and flat routes. He's also no stranger to playing press coverage. His highlight reel is full of jams at the line of scrimmage before forcing an incompletion.
The suddenness with which Baker Jr. gets out of that backpedal can be measured by his testing metrics. At his 2022 pro day, Baker Jr. recorded a 41.5-inch vertical jump, a 11-foot-4-inch broad jump, a 4.43 40-yard dash and a 1.53 10-yard-split. The vertical and broad jumps rank in the 99th percentile among all cornerbacks tested since 1987 with the speed times ranking in the 87th percentile.
Baker Jr. is an athletic, technically-sound, smart player with the length and mindset to play up in press or process from zone assignments.
3. Panamanian-American heritage
The son of two United States Army veterans, Darrell Baker Jr. was born in Panama City, Panama. His parents, Darrell Baker Sr. and Johnetta Dixon, were honored as the 12th Titan during Tennessee's Salute to Service initiatives in 2024.
Shortly after he was born, Baker Jr. and his family moved to Hephzibah, Georgia, where he would star in football and track and field. He won a state championship in the long jump during his senior year of high school.
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