How FA Chris Baker fits with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to take some pressure off of Gerald McCoy, so they signed defensive tackle Chris Baker in free agency…
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made signing defensive tackle Chris Baker in free agency a priority, and the reasoning seems clear — they needed to get help for Gerald McCoy on the defensive interior.
Specifically, the Buccaneers needed to upgrade their pass rush from the inside, and Chris Baker has become one of the most effective defensive tackles in the NFL in that regard. Here’s a graphic from Pro Football Focus showing exactly what has made him so special the past three seasons:
New Buccaneers D-lineman Chris Baker has increased his QB Hurry tally every year since 2012. pic.twitter.com/4sxtJgFELl
— PFF (@PFF) May 27, 2017
Combining McCoy and Baker at the defensive tackle spots is going to be absolutely lethal…
After a down year in 2015, Buccaneers D-lineman Gerald McCoy bounced back last year, earning the 10th-highest grade at his position. pic.twitter.com/djFDeeZRvn
— PFF (@PFF) May 27, 2017
McCoy led all Bucs defensive linemen in 2016 with 795 snaps. Next behind him was defensive end William Gholston at 585 snaps. The next most from a defensive tackle was Clinton McDonald at 485 snaps, or just under 46 percent of the defensive snaps last season.
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The Buccaneers obviously needed another player that could play a decent amount on the interior defensive line after four different players last season played at least 360 snaps.
Baker played 782 snaps for the Redskins last season, and was extremely effective both against the run and as a pass rusher.
The contract he signed with Tampa Bay is essentially a one-year, $6 million deal if the Buccaneers want to get out of it after this season. Otherwise, it’s a three-year deal worth nearly $16 million.
Not bad for the former undrafted free agent who was kicked out of Penn State once upon a time.
The Buccaneers don’t necessarily have that dynamic presence off the edge that is coveted in today’s NFL, but with the signing of Chris Baker, they have an enviable defensive interior that is going to cause a lot of problems for opposing offensive lines.