Deandre Baker could make Chiefs debut against Saints in Week 15

The Chiefs announced a series of roster moves on Saturday, including the announcement that DeAndre Baker will be on the active roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced a number of roster moves on Saturday afternoon as they prepare to face the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. One notable move is that cornerback Deandre Baker has been promoted to active roster in time to potentially make his debut for K.C. in 2020.

The Chiefs first signed Baker after his release from the New York Giants over a month ago. However, Baker was initially signed to the practice squad and it was noted then that he would need some time to get back into game shape and to get into the Chiefs playbook.

Baker was a first-round pick of the Giants, and the first overall cornerback selected, in the 2019 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he was accused of armed robbery at a private party in south Florida earlier this year and was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list and subsequently released by the Giants in September. Baker insisted he was innocent all along and, as the process played out, ultimately his accusers were arrested for extortion.

After Baker’s name was cleared, the Giants still decided to move on instead of re-signing him, which Baker stated he was willing to do. From there, the Chiefs won the sweepstakes to be able to sign him and he’s been on the practice squad ever since. Baker started 15 games for the Giants last season.

As for the other roster moves, the Chiefs also noted that right tackle Mike Remmers, who has been starting in place of Mitch Schwartz, has been downgraded to “out” against the Saints, which means both options there will miss with back injuries. Yasir Durant is likely to earn his first NFL start there after serving as the substitute for Remmers last Sunday.

In addition, the Chiefs also activated linebacker Emmanuel Smith and offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski from the practice squad. Whether or not all of these players will be active come game time remains to be seen.