Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker is entering into the 2021 season with a new set of expectations for himself. The Dolphins have made Baker very well compensated for his services — and now Baker will look to reward that trust and faith by continuing to level up his game and be a more dynamic threat in all phases of the position. By his own admission, run defense has been the big area of emphasis for Baker this offseason. Baker scored well by Next Gen Stats measures as a coverage linebacker and his overall production on 3rd downs was complemented by strong pass rush returns, too.
But the run game? That’s where the Dolphins and Baker himself look to get better.
Tuesday’s padded practice was a good start. Miami was physical on the line of scrimmage and the linebacker group knifed through gaps with consistency to create havoc in the backfield of the Dolphins’ offense. And for Baker, the area of focus (and hopeful improvement) comes down to two separate variables:
“Technique and knockback. For us, you know where to be but sometimes your technique is not good and just the knockback,” said Baker.
“It’s not about just being in the right gap. It’s about being in the right gap and stopping them and not getting the extra two or three yards; and me especially, I know I have to work on that and it’s definitely an emphasis this offseason.”
Baker’s strength to this point in his NFL career hasn’t been hand power to provide the needed “knockback” to reset the line of scrimmage and dictate the rep to blockers. And while it may never be the true root of his successes, getting better with his functional power in such instances will help him become the player the Dolphins are paying him to be and more. He’s got a great running mate to emulate in this regard in 2021 in Benardrick McKinney — and the duo was part of a very stout showing in Tuesday’s first padded practice of the year.
We’ll get a look in the coming weeks at Miami not just against themselves but against Chicago, Atlanta and Cincinnati during the preseason. And if Miami succeeds in these phases all the same, it will be safe to say Baker and the Dolphins will be ready for a physical test against New England to open the season.
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