Budda Baker was all over the field for the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night versus the Dallas Cowboys, catching the eye of his head coach. Following Arizona's blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Kliff Kingsbury had nothing but praise for Baker's performance.
“He is everywhere,” Kingsbury said, via the team’s website. “You watch the game, and ’32’ shows up in every situation, all night. Such a tremendous player.”
During Monday night's thrashing of the Cowboys, Baker continually found himself around the football. The All-Pro safety finished with seven tackles, a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble.
It was Baker's second consecutive game with a sack and surprisingly enough, his interception against the Cowboys was the first in his career. Nevertheless, Baker can make his presence felt without needing to force turnovers.
Similar to other versatile safeties in the NFL, the Cardinals use Baker in a multitude of ways. The two-time Pro Bowler can be seen hovering around the line of scrimmage at times. On other plays, he may be tasked with covering one of the opposing team's top pass-catching weapons.
Being able to have a safety that can do a variety of things in a defense is becoming a wanted commodity in the NFL. Guys like Jamal Adams, Derwin James, and Baker are considered the prototypical safeties that teams want.
Before the 2020 season kicked off, the Cardinals made Baker the highest-paid safety in NFL history. It's safe to say Kingsbury and the Cardinals are fond of how Baker continues to perform after earning a new long-term deal.