The 2025 Miami Dolphins secondary featured some solid players who far exceeded expectations. This applies to grizzled veterans Minkah Fitzpatrick, Rasul Douglas, and Jack Jones, who each had shining moments in an otherwise miserable season for Dolphins fans. With Fitzpatrick's trade to the rival Jets and Douglas and Jones' impending free agency, Jon-Eric Sullivan has a lot of work to do replacing them.
He didn't waste much time on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with an intriguing cornerback coming over from the Tennessee Titans, Darrell Baker Jr. (according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero). There seems to be a keen awareness by the new Dolphins regime that this franchise has been labeled as "soft" or all flash and no muscle. Baker Jr. represents the most recent free agent addition who can aptly be described as a height-weight-speed player.
Standing at 6'1" and weighing 190 pounds, Baker's frame elicits comparisons to the cornerback prototype that NFL front offices are smitten with league-wide. Long, aggressive corners who can outmuscle smaller receivers and hold their own against freaks of nature like D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens — Baker fits the bill. It also helps that he will turn 28 years old in a few weeks, meaning he should be on the verge of reaching his prime.
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Baker Jr. was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He wound up being released and catching on with the Indianapolis Colts, nabbing some late-season playing time as a rookie before becoming a persistent contributor in 2023. He was released prior to the 2024 season, but was claimed by the Tennessee Titans, where he spent the past two seasons, appearing in 34 of 34 possible contests.
His durability has been impressive, but the advanced metrics are far from ideal. Pro Football Focus gave Baker a 54.8 overall grade in 2025, good for 88th out of 114 qualifiers. For their part, Pro Football Reference was less than impressed with his play as well. In 2024, he was charted as allowing 25 completions on 47 targets for 315 yards and four TDs, "good" for a 102.7 passer rating allowed.
Perhaps the Titans expected a leap in 2025. Instead, they saw a crash. He allowed 44 completions on 63 targets for 645 yards and four TDs, which ballooned his passer rating allowed to a grotesque 124.1. For reference, the league's leader in passer rating was Drake "The Schedule" Maye, at 113.5.
At the minimum, with 40 and 55 combined tackles over the last two seasons, Baker has proven himself a willing and able tackler. His 474 career special teams snaps could also forecast where his Dolphins role is expected to be. Ultimately, we must wait and see.