KC Chiefs: Three players with the most trade value before NFL deadline

Deandre Baker

Here’s the final scenario in which the Chiefs might find a buyer on the open market if another general manager is just like Brett Veach.

Remember, Veach is a man enamored with former high draft picks (or at least those who sat high on his own draft board) who have yet to live up to the potential. It’s a solid investment strategy because it’s a way to buy an asset at its lowest price in the hopes that it rebounds for maximum return.

The list is long here in terms of players on whom Veach has taken a flyer. From linebacker Reggie Ragland to offensive lineman Cam Erving, Veach began his career by taking such chances and he even has a pair of former first-round picks in his current secondary with both Mike Hughes (Minnesota Vikings) and Deandre Baker (New York Giants).

At this point, it seems safe to say that Baker isn’t going to work out as hoped in Kansas City. He signed a year ago with the Chiefs after being released by New York following an offseason of assault charges from which he was exonerated. Baker was the first corner taken in his draft class in 2019 and it looked as if the Chiefs were going to cash in on the Giants’ misfortune (a la Kareem Hunt signing with the Browns after being dropped by the Chiefs).

To date it hasn’t worked that way. The Chiefs were slow to give Baker any sort of playing time in 2020 until the season was nearly over. Baker then suffered a severe leg fracture that forced him to sit the rest of the season. This year, Baker was back and ready to play in the preseason, but he’s been buried on the depth chart for most games and is a healthy scratch most of the time. He’s only been active for Week 3 and 4 this season.

If a team wanted to take a flyer on a promising young corner going nowhere in K.C., it wouldn’t be the worst idea for another GM. The Chiefs apparently like what they have on the field right now and it’s not Baker.