Jerome Baker is what Dion Jordan should have been

Dion Jordan was to be a hybrid player with the versatility we are seeing in the current Miami Dolphins defense. Jerome Baker is showing how it should work.

Jerome Baker is a linebacker but often plays off the ball and getting after quarterbacks. I will get into some interesting stats on that soon. Jordon is a defensive end but was tagged to play a hybrid linebacker role, sort of the other side of what Baker is doing now.

Jordan was drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the third pick of the 2013 Draft. So it can be said, that it has taken nine years in the making to develop the sort of defense that would accommodate someone like Jordan. This is not to say that he should be sought after now as a free agent.

If I’m not mistaken this pick made back then was mostly favorable, as the idea was right, but as it turned out it was the trying to force things example when his play sputtered on the field for the most part.

Jeff Ireland should be dragged into this, as it was his pick, and he himself became just as divisive as the pick was. Again, it was the right idea but the wrong circumstance,

Jerome Baker has been playing well for the three seasons he has been with the Miami Dolphins. Last season he played very well, and as a result, he got a new contract. That contract went over about as quietly as the seven sacks he had last season. It didn’t break the bank and provided good value for the team.

He’s blitzed the second-most of any off-ball linebacker in the league since Brian Flores’ arrival in 2019. He’s rushed 269 times in two years, per PFF. According to this tweet by Miami Dolphins writer Travis Wingfield.

Newly signed player Benardrick McKinney is said to be able to do the things Baker excelled at. This is shaping up for good things to come from this defensive unit.

I still wonder if more moves are coming, like getting an edge-rushing specialist. However just like thinking a new running back was in order, that never happened, and it’s back to the versatility to provide results.

Not only is there an abundance of talent on this starting defense, it also continues for the backups. There is very good depth as the rebuilding of the team has rounded out. It is not just limited to the linebacker’s room.