On Wednesday, Cardinals standout safety and longest-tenured defender Budda Baker was limited in practice with a hamstring injury. The designation remained the same for Thursday’s practice, but today Baker was a full participant, meaning, in all likelihood, he will be good to go for Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks (6–2).
Baker’s ability to play is vital for Sunday, as Arizona is already down two starting cornerbacks in Will Johnson and Max Melton. The team is also without middle linebacker and captain Mack Wilson Sr., so it will be rookie Cody Simon out of Ohio State wearing the green dot (microphone), who is relatively inexperienced at the pro level.
Baker, 29, was a second-round pick (No. 36 overall) out of Washington and has been voted to seven (six straight) Pro Bowl teams along with earning a pair of All-Pro selections. He has, without a doubt, been the cornerstone of the Arizona defense over the years, having earned a three-year, $54 million contract extension at the end of the 2024 season.
In 2025, Baker has appeared in all eight of the team’s games and has recorded 56 total tackles thus far (26 solo, 30 assisted). He also has a pair of pass breakups in coverage, truly making him one of the most well-rounded safeties in the league.
What makes this truly remarkable is that he has played 99% of the defensive snaps while putting up solid numbers.
Baker will need to trust the two young cornerbacks playing alongside him, as they are matched up with one of the best wide receivers in the game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Don’t forget that Seattle also made a trade for Rashid Shaheed with the New Orleans Saints, adding another deep-threat wide receiver for quarterback Sam Darnold to rely on.
Only a setback can keep Baker out of the game on Sunday’s, but if all goes well in the walkthrough, expect the superstar safety to be ready to disrupt the passing game.