Last year the Dolphins were last in the NFL defending against tight ends and the selection of Baker should help with that.
Even with the selection of Minkah Fitzpatrick potentially moving safety T.J. McDonald to the “dime linebacker” position, the Dolphins wanted insurance/depth at the position. (Also, don’t rule out the possibility of McDonald being traded.)
The big ‘knock’ on Baker is that he isn’t very physical at the position. Courtesy of NFL.com, here is what one AFC defensive coach thinks of Jerome Baker’s game:
“He’s fast and athletic and all that but he just doesn’t have much grit to his game.