Jerome Baker cooking up tasty rookie season, still thinks Dolphins defense can singe

Can’t make cupcakes without a Baker.

Turns out, Caesar salad and pizza too.

The puns wrote themselves Tuesday at a Publix in Plantation, when Jerome Baker and Dolphins teammates helped teach a bunch of kids to cook, while doing some good in the community.

The event, which drew fellow starters Kenny Stills and Minkah Fitzpatrick, among others, was billed as the Dolphins’ Kids Cookoff. It was part of the team’s Football Unites program that tries to use the game to bring together all of South Florida’s races and cultures. Law enforcement and members of local police athletic leagues were invited in an effort to improve understanding and cooperation among the communities.

But for Baker, it was a way to blow off some steam.

It’s been a rough two months for the Dolphins in general, and defense in particular. The Dolphins through 10 weeks rank last against the run (142 yards per game), 26th in total yards allowed (392.3) and 22nd in scoring defense (25.6).

When you’re in a tailspin like the Dolphins are — losers of five of eight, including blowouts to the Patriots, Texans and Packers on the road — it’s hard to escape the negativity.

But at Publix’s cooking school in Plantation Tuesday, the pressure was off. The only trash talk was when someone couldn’t properly crack an egg.

“When I go to events like this, I don’t think about the season at all,” Baker said. “Just to see the kids’ faces, something different. It means a lot to me. My whole life, my whole time is just football, football, football. … This is my time to get away from it, and enjoy the kids and have a good time.”

For many Dolphins, it was one last chance to interact with the community before disappearing for the week. The Dolphins are off until Monday and many had one eye on the airport the last couple of days.

Baker is one of few Dolphins players whose arrow is pointing up. Over the last four games, the rookie outside linebacker has recorded 16 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown — perhaps the only reason the Dolphins are not winless over that four-game stretch.

“It’s definitely been a great two weeks for me,” Baker said. “Having a pick-six, having a pretty decent game. It means a lot. All the hard work I’ve been putting in is finally paying off. Definitely good to see that. Just got to finish out the season strong. Most important is get the wins. All that really matters is win, win, win.”

Baker still has to shake his head at times when he looks at his paycheck. It’s the first time he’s drawn a salary for playing the game he loves, and he has both the game and the personality to be a fan favorite for years to come.

And the great thing about rookies: They have very little point of reference for how bad things have been recently. In Baker’s mind, the best could still be yet to come.

When asked what the point of reference should be for a linebacker group that has lacked for consistency in 2018, he responded:

“Just execution. I don’t worry about anything else. Just execution. It sounds so simple but it’s so hard at the same time. If we just execute and play together, we definitely can be one of the better defenses in the league. That’s pretty much the main thing right now. Just execute and play together. The effort’s going to be there. Just execute and play together.”

▪ The Dolphins don’t play until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but expect the roster to continue to churn even during the bye week.

They on Tuesday cut defensive end Cameron Malveaux, who might be a luxury they cannot afford after losing receivers DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant to injuries Sunday.

That left the Dolphins with just three healthy wideouts: Stills, Danny Amendola and Leonte Carroo.

It would not be a surprise if they elevate either Malcolm Lewis or Isaiah Ford from the practice squad in the days to come.

This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 7:10 PM.