Chiefs’ Andy Reid addresses looming practice-squad signing of corner DeAndre Baker
The Chiefs haven’t officially signed cornerback DeAndre Baker to the practice squad yet, but it’s coming, a source confirmed Tuesday night with The Star.
Baker, 23, dealt with a tumultuous offseason of legal problems, which resulted in his former team, the New York Giants, releasing him in early September.
Criminal charges against Baker, however, were dropped earlier this week and opened the door for his return to the NFL and the Chiefs, pending the cornerback making it through the COVID-19 protocol process.
“He was a good player in college, did a nice job at Georgia,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday of Baker. “He and Mecole Hardman are good buddies.
“Really, (general manager) Brett’s (Veach) been doing everything to this point and will continue to do it. So, full trust in him in whatever he wants to do with it, we go. … Other than that, I don’t know much about him other than he was a good player in college.”
Baker has been the subject of a bizarre case that commenced in May with four counts of robbery with a firearm but concluded six months later with dropped charges Monday. The Giants selected him out of Georgia in the first round last year, trading up to land him, but released him after the charges.
Baker was accused of taking cash and jewelry at gunpoint during a May party in Florida.
But the lawyer for three of the alleged victims, William Dean, was arrested Monday and charged with extortion in relation to the robbery, and the Broward State Attorney’s Office subsequently dropped the charges against Baker. The New York Daily News reported that Dean was trying to extort Baker out of nearly $800,000.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar had originally been accused of helping Baker, but he was cleared earlier.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Baker appeared in 16 games with 15 starts for the Giants during his rookie season.
The talent is obviously there given his lofty first-round draft status, and his time on Kansas City’s practice squad might even prove short if the Chiefs decide to elevate him to the active 53-player roster sooner than later.
Whatever happens, though, the Chiefs will expect Baker to abide by a set of standards.
“I know when he gets here, he’ll see the environment that we have and he’s going to be asked to work hard and keep his nose clean,” Reid said. “That’s what you do and we’re very honest with that and open.
“So, when Brett deals with that, he keeps that real with these guys whoever we’re bringing in, but anything else isn’t acceptable. That’s how we go.”
The Star’s Sam McDowell contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
