LB Jerome Baker Signs With Browns

After moving around quite a bit in the last year, veteran linebacker Jerome Baker finds himself with another new team for the 2025 NFL season. Per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Baker has agreed to a deal with the Browns.

A former third-round pick for the Dolphins out of Ohio State, Baker spent the first six years of his career in Miami. Out of a potential 99 games, Baker appeared in 94, starting 82 and only missing one game over his first five seasons. Baker stuffed the stat sheet during his time with the Dolphins, thrice recording triple-digit tackles while totaling 22.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss, 46 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, 21 passes defensed, and five interceptions.

Because of his impressive contributions, the Dolphins signed Baker to a three-year, $37.5MM extension in 2021. Prior to the final year of that extension, though, Miami released Baker in an effort towards cap compliance.

Baker only found himself on the market for about two weeks as the Seahawks signed him as a free agent shortly after his release on a one-year, $7MM deal. An injury held Baker out of two games early in the season, but Baker started all five games in which he appeared for Seattle before the team traded him to the Titans in exchange for a younger model in Ernest Jones. Baker would miss more games than he would appear in for the rest of the year, only starting three of five appearances in Tennessee.

Now, the 28-year-old will make his way to Cleveland for Year 8 of his career. Cleveland doesn’t seem to be losing anyone from last year’s linebacking corps, which was led by Jordan Hicks, Mohamoud Diabate, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Devin Bush (once Owusu-Koramoah suffered a season-ending injury).

The team should get Owusu-Koramoah back to the starting lineup, and Hicks and Bush both graded out as two of the top four defenders on the team’s defense last year (out of players who played more than half the season), per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Baker may end up stepping up as a potential improvement over Diabate in 2025, or he may just add a bit more veteran depth to the linebacking corps that returns many contributors.