According to a Wednesday report, veteran linebacker Jerome Baker played a rather important role in allowing the Miami Dolphins to have the financial freedom necessary to pull off their big moves prior to the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.
The Dolphins were big winners in the trade market prior to the deadline, as they managed to bolster their pass rush by adding one-time Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb.
They also added running back depth and made up for the loss of Chase Edmonds, who was included in the Chubb trade, by trading for running back Jeff Wilson Jr.
In order to make both of those deals, the Dolphins needed to create some extra cap space. Baker made that possible by restructuring his deal with the team.
To make room for their multiple trade deadline additions, the Dolphins needed to create cap space.
They did so by restructuring the contract of LB Jerome Baker, reducing his 2022 cap hit by about $2.5M.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 2, 2022
A veteran player restructuring his deal is not all that rare in the NFL. Still, Baker being willing to rework his deal is a major indication that he wanted to work with the team to make sure it was able to bring in additional talent.
Typically, a player restructuring his deal is seen as a team-first move.
Baker entered the league as the No. 73 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He quickly became an important cog in the Dolphins defense, starting 11 games in his rookie season. He’s remained a consistent starter since then.
Last year, Baker signed a three-year extension worth $39 million.
So far this season, Baker has started in all eight of the Dolphins’ matchups. He’s recorded 43 combined tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He’s added two passes defended to his stat sheet as well.
Without a doubt, his job as a linebacker is going to be made quite a bit easier with Chubb now lining up nearby.
Chubb is known as a menace in the pass rush and can wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. So far this season, he’s already recorded 5.5 sacks. He’s also got two forced fumbles.
With the move to acquire Chubb on Tuesday, the Dolphins issued a clear message to the rest of the league that they have arrived. They’re ready to compete for a playoff spot and beyond.
Though Chubb is the shiny new gem, fans should not forget that Baker played an important role to make it all possible.
The two players should be lining up together in just a few days when the Dolphins look to get a win versus the Chicago Bears.
