At times, a beard can be associated with wisdom and maturity. So when veteran safety Budda Baker grew out his, it was no surprise that he picked up the nickname "Uncle."
"The guys mess with me," said Baker, going into his ninth season. "But I'm still in my 20s, so I still feel great."
Baker doesn't have the biggest beard on the team -- that distinction belongs to offensive lineman like Jonah Williams and Hjalte Froholdt-- but he does have the experience that the new-look defense craves. Drafted in 2017, Baker, who just turned 29 in January, is the longest tenured Cardinal on the roster. (That doesn't include Calais Campbell, who spent the first nine years of his 18-year career in Arizona).
It's too early in the offseason for Baker to make any powerful statements about the revamped unit. At this point, he's focused on getting to know his teammates.
Then again, he admitted that building trust is most important during this time of year.
"It's developing and understanding the Cardinal way of how we speak football," Baker said. "Everyone getting along and getting on the same page and being able to talk Cardinal football talk is the biggest thing."
As a defensive captain, Baker serves as an extension of the coaching staff. He can be a help, whether it is veterans or rookies have to get acclimated to Nick Rallis' system.
"There's certain communication techniques that are subtly different," Baker said. "I think that is for the better. It's for the better of our team and for the better of each and every player to play at once Week 1 starts."
Once the Cardinals throw on the pads, Baker believes he'll gain a better idea of how far along they are as a team. Until then, he'll continue to develop that trust and brotherhood with his new defensive back teammates.
Some of that will come outside the facility as well.
"We had a great time bowling, talking smack to each other, and just building that camaraderie and understanding of who we are outside of football as well," Baker said, including that Rallis joined the DBs at the outing. "(We) continue to grind and communicate and do all of the things necessary for us to be a good football team, but it's definitely special to have that camaraderie outside of football as well."
Despite his longevity, Baker continues to play at the top of his game. The seven-time Pro Bowler had career highs with 164 tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 2024, earning All-Pro honors for the fourth time.
Rallis utilized Baker in various ways. The speedy safety was deep in the secondary, blitzing from the line of scrimmage, and forced teams to game plan around his presence. After a busy offseason spent improving the defensive front seven with the likes of Josh Sweat, Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Walter Nolen III, opposing teams have more than just Baker of whom to be concerned.
"As long as I can be in different areas, that messes up the offense's understanding of where I'm at, but also creates one-on-ones for our defensive lineman," Baker said. "As long as we can create one-on-ones and I can do my job at a high level, that's all the matters."
