The Chiefs lost cornerback Deandre Baker to a broken femur in Week 17.
Deandre Baker finally got his chance to showcase what he could do in Week 17 for the Kansas City Chiefs. The good news is that he did just that with big plays early, including his first sack against Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. The bad news is that he suffered serious injury during the game which was later diagnosed as a broken femur.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed the injury with reporters after the Chiefs’ loss to the Chargers.
Andy Reid said Willie Gay has a left ankle sprain. DeAndre Baker's left femur was broken.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) January 4, 2021
"My heart goes out to the kid," Andy Reid said of Baker. "He'll be able to come back from this, so that's a positive."
Rashad Fenton had injuries to both ankles.
The Chiefs had to be very pleased with what they saw from Baker early in the game as he looked solid in coverage and then took down Herbert on the corner blitz. He had five tackles in the game, which was his first and only official appearance on defense this season, before he was injured.
Baker first signed with the Chiefs at midseason, but the team decided to play the long game with the former first-round cornerback after his unexpected arrival. Baker lingered on the team’s practice squad all season before finally being promoted to the active roster before games in each of the last couple weeks. To date, however, he’d only earned a few snaps on special teams. That is, until Sunday’s breakout game that ultimately ended with the tragic injury.
This entire season has been frustrating for Baker, who was originally released by the New York Giants back in September. He started the regular season on the Commissioner’s Exempt list after he was accused of armed robbery earlier this year. However, an investigation brought the truth to light that Baker was being extorted all along and his accusers were finally arrested earlier this fall. The Giants, however, decided to pass on Baker’s hopes for re-signing with the team that drafted him, which made him a free agency. That’s when Kansas City stepped up with an offer.
The first cornerback selected in the 2019 draft, Baker came into the NFL with considerable buzz after such a strong career at the University of Georgia. Baker would go on to make 15 starts for the Giants a year ago but the Chiefs kept him at bay for several weeks until Week 17. Now they have to hope he can successfully rehab his leg after such a tough injury.