Deandre Baker, Rashad Fenton and the fickle nature of cornerbacks

It wasn’t that long ago that Deandre Baker was entering the NFL as a celebrated anchor for a secondary overhaul for the New York Giants. In that same span of time, Rashad Fenton was seen as a potential draft reach for the Kansas City Chiefs. After last weekend, only one of those cornerbacks is out looking for a third NFL team to give him a chance since 2019.

On Sunday, the Chiefs decided to cut ties with Baker in the face of stiff competition in training camp. The Chiefs underwent wholesale changes in the secondary this offseason, and the depth chart likely needs name tags with so many new faces in camp. In the wake of the youth movement, Baker simply lost his footing on any real playing time and the cost-controlled talent all around him made a decision about his roster spot fairly simple.

It’s interesting to note that Baker was the first corner off the board in the 2019 NFL Draft. Fenton was the 25th.

The 2019 cornerback draft class is a perfect example of the fickle nature of cornerbacks in the NFL—as best illustrated by Fenton and Baker.

If there’s a single most unpredictable position in the NFL, it might very well be cornerback. The Chiefs have gotten by for years at the position with minimal investment. At the same time, the league is filled with former busts—early picks who never worked out and even some of whom washed up on the proverbial shores of Arrowhead (re: Baker, Mike Hughes, Lonnie Johnson).

Positions that play the farthest from the football are the most dependent upon their teammates, which means that very talented players can find themselves stymied by a number of factors. The wrong scheme can cripple a player’s development. Poor teammates can bring down an entire secondary. The increasing effectiveness of NFL offenses make it harder to defend the pass every year, and a particularly tough schedule can make a player look like he had a down year.

How many true lockdown cornerbacks are there in the game? Even the best often seem to have a down year or two, especially when compared with good to great players at other positions.

Baker came into the NFL as an excellent press corner prospect who excels in man coverage and yet failed in a defense that thrives on asking its corners to play in such conditions. Fenton, on the other hand, was built for zone schemes, per some NFL scouts, and wasn’t exciting in any developmental way as a prospect. Three years later, the Chiefs coaches have found a way to call out something bigger than anyone imagined for Fenton, especially as he looked solid playing on the boundary last year in the face of injuries.

The right environment might allow Baker to find his professional footing and reward a team for their efforts after he was cut loose by two previous teams. After all, he’s not quite 25 years old and he did start 15 games for the Giants in his rookie campaign. The talent was obvious at the highest level in college football, so he should earn another chance (and perhaps another after that) in short order.

But if Baker does not ever make good on his talents, it should also be clear that he’s not the only one. While every position has its busts, cornerbacks seem to fail more often than others.