TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker will return this week from thumb surgery to play against the New York Jets, coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday morning.
Baker missed Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers after having surgery earlier in the week. He played in Arizona's loss to Detroit in Week 3 with a heavily wrapped right thumb.
"We feel good about Budda playing this week," Kingsbury said.
Baker, who was named to his second Pro Bowl last season, will wear "some sort of apparatus on his hand to protect (it)," Kingsbury said.
The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries at safety the past couple of weeks. Besides losing Baker for last week's game, Arizona was also down fellow starter Chris Banjo, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Kingsbury wasn't sure whether Banjo will be healthy enough to play in New York.
With their two starting safeties sidelined, the Cardinals had three safeties active against the Panthers: Curtis Riley and Deionte Thompson, who started, and Charles Washington. Arizona signed veteran safety T.J. Ward to its practice squad Thursday, but Ward has not played since 2017. The Cardinals released Riley on Monday.
"Budda being back this week will definitely make us all feel better," Kingsbury said. "I mean, he's one of the best players in the league and brings a lot of things on and off the field to our locker room."
