Blue
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- Mar 19, 2019
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» Baker felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he learned the team was acquiring All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in March: Baker was just a few weeks into his job as the Colts' new defensive line coach when the team made the move to send its 2020 first-round pick (13th-overall) to the San Francisco 49ers for Buckner, who at just 26 is already considered one of the top interior defenders in the NFL.
The 6-foot-7, 295-pound Buckner has played in 63 games since being selected by the 49ers with the No. 7-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, collecting 262 career tackles (38 for a loss) with 28.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, seven fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He also has one fumble recovery for a touchdown and six career multiple-sack games. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2018 and Second-Team All-Pro in 2019.
But Baker admitted he didn't know much about Buckner when he started studying the film of prospective free agents and trade targets early this offseason. Baker had spent the previous five seasons out of the NFL — he was out of football for a year and then spent the next four years as a coach at the college level with Mississippi State (2016-18) and Alabama (2019) — so his knowledge of pro defensive linemen across the league was limited at best.
But when Baker turned on the 49ers film from last year to study the likes of future free agent signing Sheldon Day, one player just kept standing out to him.
"I've been away from it for a while, and I didn't really know who DeForest was. My energy was focusing on college players and recruiting. So I didn't know who he was, and I'm like, 'Who's the big 'ol 99? This dude can play,'" Baker recalled. "And I'm like, 'Man, it'd be great…' and you end up looking, 'OK, DeForest Buckner,' like, 'Man, it'd be good to get this guy.'"
Fortunately, Colts general manager Chris Ballard had similar thoughts, and would execute the big trade a few weeks later.
"When Chris pulled the trigger on DeForest, man, holy cow, I couldn't believe it," Baker said. "It was like Christmas."
» Buckner and Justin Houston project as starters now, but the other two starting jobs are very much up for grabs, Baker said: Buckner will be the starting three-tech in the middle, while the veteran Houston, who is coming off an 11-sack season, will start at defensive end. But that leaves another open spot each at defensive tackle end defensive end that should lead to plenty of quality competition during training camp and heading into the regular season.
With Jabaal Sheard, the Colts' starter at defensive end the last two seasons, not being re-signed in free agency, there are plenty of options at that spot, including fast-riser Kemoko Turay, Ben Banogu and Al-Quadin Muhammad. But Denico Autry, the team's primary three-tech in 2018 and 2019, and third-year lineman Tyquan Lewis also have the flexibility to play off the edge, as well as inside.
At defensive tackle, look for Autry, Lewis, Day, Grover Stewart and 2020 sixth-round pick Rob Windsor to be battling it out for snaps.
Others fighting for spots include Kendall Coleman, Gerri Green, Jegs Jegede, Kameron Cline and Chris Williams.
"Yeah, it's going to be a very competitive camp," Baker said. "Of the guys right now that I'd probably say, 'OK, their spot is, as much as you can think, pretty much in stone, it would be Justin and DeForest. And, really, everybody else it's gonna be a pretty competitive thing.
"We've got a lot of good football players who are going to be competing," Baker continued. "Like I said: this a group I'm really excited about — really excited about. I can't wait for camp to start, for our feet to hit the grass, see those guys run around competing. The one thing I'll guarantee you is that we're going to have the best defensive line out there; you know, the guys who are out there playing for the blue are going to be the guys who earn that opportunity because of their play and nothing else."