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Jerome Baker is returning to the area where he played college football. The former Ohio State linebacker signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns on Friday.
As he prepares for his eighth season in the NFL, the Browns will be Baker's fourth team and his third in just a year. He began his career with the Miami Dolphins, playing six years in Florida, before splitting last season between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans.
Baker was a third-round selection, No. 73 overall, in the 2018 NFL Draft by Miami. Baker quickly became a starter and an important piece of the Dolphins' defense. As a rookie, he recorded 79 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, three sacks, three passes defended, one interception and a touchdown.
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Over the next two seasons, Baker continued to impress in Miami, recording over 100 total tackles each year and managing seven sacks in 2020. The linebacker recorded "only" 92 tackles in 2021 but bounced back to 100 takedowns the following season, starting every game the Dolphins played in those two years. In 2023, Baker played in just 13 games, starting 12, and had 78 total tackles, two tackles for a loss and a career-high two interceptions. He became the first Dolphins player since 2000 to record more than 500 tackles within his first five seasons, totaling 581 by the start of the 2024 season.
Baker signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Dolphins on June 13, 2021. However, his time with Miami ended when he was placed on injured reserve on January 9, 2024, and was subsequently released on March 5, 2024.
On March 16, 2024, Baker signed with the Seahawks. He played in five games, tallying 37 total tackles, two tackles for a loss, one sack, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
Baker's time with the Seahawks was short-lived, as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 23, 2024. In Tennessee last season, Baker appeared in five games, recording 24 total tackles, one sack and two passes defended.
During his freshman season with the Buckeyes, Baker primarily participated in special teams and played during late-game situations when the outcome was already decided, finishing the year with three total tackles in the last seven games.
If not for an injury to fellow linebacker Dante Booker at the start of the 2016 season, Baker may not have emerged as early as he did for the Scarlet and Gray. By the end of the year, Baker had become a household name, finishing the 2016 season with 83 total tackles — the second best on the team, just behind fellow linebacker Raekwon McMillan. He also recorded 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery, starting 12 of 13 games. For his efforts that year, the linebacker was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by both coaches and the media.
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Baker entered his junior season with very high expectations, as many anticipated he would become one of the best outside linebackers in the country. In 2017, however, Baker struggled a bit, much like the rest of the Buckeye linebackers. Despite this, he led the Scarlet and Gray with a total of 72 tackles and recorded eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble over 13 games. Once again, Baker received honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media, and he announced he would forgo his senior season to declare for the NFL Draft shortly after the Buckeyes' victory against USC in the Cotton Bowl.