Eagles' Attention Focused on Cardinals 'Ballhawk' Safety Budda Baker

The Philadelphia Eagles are working through some offensive struggles this season and know Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker could impact that development this weekend.

The Philadelphia Eagles have not been happy with their offensive production this season.

After signing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to a lucrative extension, the expectation was that he'd take the next step toward becoming one of the best in the NFL today. Instead, he and the offense as a whole have appeared to take a few steps backward in some areas even as they sit tied for the best record in the NFC.

Week 17 is another opportunity to work on what's been ailing the Eagles offense, and while many are down on the visiting Arizona Cardinals, there's at least one player on that side who threatens to derail any hopes of positive growth this weekend.

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (32) against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

"[Safety] Budda Baker is a fantastic player," Philadelphia offensive coordinator Brian Johnson said when asked about one player on the Cardinals defense that stands out among the rest. "I think they have a really, really good scheme. They know how to present problems offensively with some of their alignments and some of their packages. Budda is a ball hawk and he roams and can make plays. He’s a guy that constantly shows up on the tape week-in and week-out."

Appearing in 10 games so far this season Baker's year is going about as well as the Cardinals' as a whole. Because of it, the talented safety is at risk of having his first zero-interception season since 2019 and his second straight without a sack.

On the Eagles side, Hurst is riding a two-game interception streak into this weekend after throwing three over the past two weeks combined.

More alarming than that production line is Hurts' two passing touchdowns in the last four weeks, the least impressive stretch this entire season.

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The fact that it's coming as Philadelphia prepares for a postseason run and had the chance to clinch the No. 1 seed and a bye week in the Wild Card Round only serves to elevate the concern.

Knowing where Baker is on the field at all times will be the first step toward making offensive progress. From there, it'll fall back on the familiar pillars of communication, execution, and consistency.