Trade deadline season is upon us, and Cincinnati could push in some assets to the middle of the table to improve their 2026 roster. One way to really round out the defensive secondary depth could be to go after Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker.

The 30-year-old has one more full season left on his current contract extension. He's struggled with a 52.4 Pro Football Focus grade last season and a 55.1 mark this season, but he graded out at 64 or higher in every season before that dating to 2017.

Cincinnati's already dealt with multiple injuries in the safety room, and more options couldn't hurt.

Consistent Force

CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani sees Baker as a strong trade fit for the Bengals. The safety has 42 tackles, a career-high 3.5 sacks, one interception, and four pass breakups this season.

"Budda Baker has been a star for the Arizona Cardinals ever since he was selected No. 36 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Washington," Dajani wrote. "He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie — the first of what have turned into eight Pro Bowl appearances. Not many players have made 1,000 tackles before age 30. Just Bobby Wagner, Roquan Smith, Luke Kuechly, Lavonte David, Ray Lewis, Fred Warner, and ... Budda Baker. 

"Baker is still a stud, as evidenced by the Cardinals' upset win over the Rams on Sunday. He recorded six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one pass defensed. He stopped at least one touchdown from being scored, and he was effective in blitzing the quarterback and stopping the running backs. Someone come get him."

Given his age (30) and expensive contract, Baker might be had for a Day 3 draft pick in 2027.

There are no firm reports that Baker is on the trade block, but Arizona hasn't even gotten the quarterback of the future in place yet to start contending at some point this decade. Baker may be long past his prime by the time they do, but the Bengals have a superstar quarterback he can help win right now.

The money may make this really hard in reality. According to Spotrac, Baker has a $9.79 million cap hit the rest of this season and a $20.9 million cap hit in 2027. Paying big money to him and Bryan Cook may not be palatable for Cincinnati. They'd likely have to release someone in the process of this trade just to stay under the 2026 salary cap.

Check out the full piece from Dajani here.

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