Jerome Baker, a star linebacker at Benedictine High School and Ohio State, is getting the chance to make his career into an Ohio three-peat with the Browns. The Browns on March 22 announced signing Baker, originally a third-round draft choice by the Miami Dolphins in 2018, in hopes he can help shore up the run defense. Baker, 6-foot-2, 232 pounds, played on Benedictine’s Division IV state high school championship team in 2014. He played in 33 games over three seasons at Ohio State and totaled 158 tackles, seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Related Articles Cleveland Browns | Mock drafts for Browns are all over the field | Jeff Schudel Cleveland Browns | Jameis Winston agrees to deal with N.Y. Giants Cleveland Browns | Mel Kiper has Browns taking edge rusher Abdul Carter over QB Shedeur Sanders in mock draft Cleveland Browns | Browns, with Brook Park stadium in mind, return to court in feud with Cleveland officials Cleveland Browns | Browns QB Deshaun Watson and longtime girlfriend Jilly Anais get engaged The Browns are still unsure whether Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will be cleared to practice and play in 2025. General Manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month that JOK was seeing specialists about the neck injury he suffered trying to tackle Ravens running back Derrick Henry in a game played Oct. 27 last year. He missed the remainder of 2024 on injured reserve. If JOK does play this year, Baker gives the Browns depth at linebacker they haven’t had in years. If Owusu-Koramoah cannot play, Baker can step in as a starter. Depending on what the Browns do in the draft next month, the linebacker duo could turn out to be Baker and JOK when the Browns are in a 4-2-5 formation. Jordan Hicks started 12 games at linebacker in 2024. He is under contract for 2025. Baker has played in 104 NFL games with 90 starts. He played for the Dolphins from 2018-23. He was released in March of last year and signed with Seattle. The Seahawks traded Baker and a fourth-round draft pick to the Titans on Oct. 23 for linebacker Ernest Jones. Baker played a combined 10 games with the Seahawks and Titans in 2024, the fewest of his NFL career. He started eight games and totaled 61 tackles with four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He has seven forced fumbles and five interceptions for his career. The Browns’ defense suffered without Owusu-Koramoah in the lineup for the last nine games of 2024. They gave up 22 rushing touchdowns for the year and 2,205 rushing yards total. One year earlier, when the Browns had the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL, they allowed 1,793 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, Baker has played outside and inside linebacker during his career. His most productive season was 2022 with the Dolphins when he played and started all 17 games and made 100 tackles. That season he had six tackles for loss, four sacks and seven quarterback hits. Earlier this month, the Browns re-signed linebacker Devin Bush to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. Bush, on a one-year deal in 2024, was fourth on the team with 74 tackles. Safety Grant Delpit led the Browns with 108 tackles followed by cornerback Martin Emerson with 80 and Hicks with 78. ...read more read less