Titans CB Named Unexpected Player to Watch

Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. is going into his second year with the team, where he hopes to be better than the year before.

Baker, 27, went undrafted in 2022 but has clawed his way into the league thanks to hard work and improvement.

ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz listed Baker as a player to know for the Titans going into the upcoming season.

"A journeyman on his third NFL team, Baker was a shocking No. 1 in coverage DVOA last season among qualifying cornerbacks," Schatz wrote.

"But his numbers were strange across the board. He had an average yards-per-target figure, and gave up a high number of YAC when he allowed a reception. However, Baker was rarely targeted when he was on the field. Was he doing something right, or is this a case of small sample size (Baker barely qualified for the rankings) and opponents picking on other Tennessee corners? If L'Jarius Sneed gets injured again, the Titans will find out."

Baker played in all 17 games for the Titans last season, starting in nine of them. He could be in line for another big role in the upcoming year with Sneed possibly starting the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

Sneed is fighting to get healthy after a hamstring injury limited him to just five games in his first year with the Titans.

Baker was a huge help in a pinch for the Titans last year, but the team hopes to use him more as someone who can step in as opposed to a player who has to start each and every week.

Baker can be effective in any role for the Titans, especially now that he is growing more comfortable in Dennard Wilson's system.