Surprise Cornerback Earning First Team Reps in Camp

Second year cornerback Darrell Baker Jr has impressed in Colts' training camp so far.

The Indianapolis Colts' cornerback depth chart has been in dire straits this offseason. Veteran star Stephon Gilmore was traded to the Dallas Cowboys while Isaiah Rodgers Sr was suspended from the team for the entire year. The team did draft a handful of rookies at the position, but two of three players (Darius Rush and JuJu Brents) have missed most of the camp practices thus far.

With the rare opportunity presenting itself, second year cornerback Darrell Baker Jr has stepped up. Baker Jr, 25, is a former UDFA out of Georgia Southern that spent a majority of last offseason with the Arizona Cardinals. He was waived from the team in final cutdowns and has been in the Colts' organization since September 13th of 2022.

Baker Jr was a standout at the collegiate level, totaling 109 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and three interceptions in his time with the Georgia Southern Eagles. He wasn't invited to the NFL Combine last year, but he put up some insane athletic numbers at his Pro Day. The young corner ran a 4.43 forty yard dash while posting elite numbers in both the vertical (41.5 inches) and broad jumps (136 inches).

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) August 1, 2023

Colts' Head Coach Shane Steichen had this to say about Baker Jr after yesterday's practice:

Darrell (Baker Jr.) has got really good speed and he’s got good cover skills. I’m excited where he’s at and with all these guys, not only Darrell but everyone. We’ve just got to keep improving every single day and getting better.

With the Colts' cornerback injuries in camp, Baker Jr has almost exclusively been working with the first team defense. He has been alongside veteran slot cornerback Kenny Moore II and second year UDFA Dallis Flowers as the team's top three guys thus far.

Locked On Colts' Host Jake Arthur had rave reviews for the young corner in practice the other day on the podcast as well:

Darrell Baker Jr, a guy back in March that would have CB7 or 8, is in with the starters right now. This guy has responded really well. He had two plays against Michael Pittman Jr where the ball got there and he was able to dislodge the top receiver from the ball.

He's willing to go out there and ruffle the feathers of the number one wide receiver on the team that is also a physical, contested catch type of guy. I'm really impressed by that and I'm liking what I'm seeing from Darrell Baker Jr. We are just over a week into camp now, (JuJu) Brents has not been out there and (Darius) Rush has been hurt, so a guy like Darrell Baker Jr is doing everything possible to earn a spot.

#Colts CB Darrell Baker Jr. is impressing with the first team defense. The @GSAthletics_FB product is entering his second year in the NFL after spending last year with in Arizona.

— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) July 31, 2023

Darrell Baker Jr still has an uphill battle to earn a roster spot by the end of camp, but so far this young player is doing everything right. He is a lengthy and explosive player that is performing well with the starters so far in camp. That is a pretty significant development with how slim the Colts are at that positional group this offseason.

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