Getty The Ravens will host a former Bears' NT this week.
Brandon Williams is still a free agent, so the Baltimore Ravens may need a new anchor for their defensive line. To that end, the Ravens are set to host a former nose tackle of the Chicago Bears.
A second-round pick in 2015, this massive defensive lineman never quite hit the heights in Chicago. Yet, he’s still the right side of 30 and possesses qualities the Ravens need to help maintain their strength stopping the run.
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Recently Released Free Agent Will Meet with Ravens
The Ravens are ready to host Eddie Goldman later this week, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson:
Cut by the Chicago Bears and now a free agent, veteran defensive lineman Eddie Goldman is expected to visit the Ravens on Friday, according to a league source @PFN365
Goldman was officially let go by the Bears on Monday, March 14:
Thank you, @EddieGoldman.
Things didn’t work out in The Windy City, but Goldman fits the bill for what the Ravens need at the heart of their front seven. He’s a classic space-eater who occupies blockers and is tough to shift in the trenches.
He was most productive in 2017 and ’18. Goldman made a career-high 43 tackles in 2017, before logging three sacks and notching a safety a year later. In the process, Goldman helped the Bears reach the playoffs and allow the fewest rushing yards in football in 2018.
That’s the level of play the Ravens have usually gotten from Williams, who remains a dominant 0-technique. The veteran is 33, but he’s also still one of the most consistent run-stuffers in the NFL.
Williams occupies double teams to keep linebackers clean to pursue the ball. He can also wreck running plays in a more direct way, like on this play against Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans from 2020:
Brandon Williams STUFFS Derrick Henry in the backfield
Having a player this disruptive anchor the line helped the Ravens surrender the fewest rushing yards, 1,436, in the league last season. If the Ravens don’t bring Williams back, plugging 6’3″, 325-pounder Goldman into the middle would be a great way to replace him.
It would be a necessary first step toward refreshing a defensive line undergoing transition this offseason.
Plenty of Changes Up Front
Williams isn’t the only pending free agent from the Ravens’ defensive front. Calais Campbell is also still on the market. The 35-year-old has remained a disruptive force at either end or tackle.
Justin Ellis is also on the team’s list of free agents, per Spotrac.com. He’s another 30-plus linemen, but like Williams, 6’2″, 350-pound Ellis is a natural run plugger in the middle.
It would help to have Derek Wolfe back, but the 32-year-old has been contemplating retirement, according to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun. Fortunately, Wolfe has since confirmed he intends to return for a 10th season in the pros:
I fully intend on coming back this season.
Wolfe is a terrific run defender, but he’ll need help. That assistance can come from Goldman, who has room to improve in the right system.
The Ravens can offer that system under new defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald. One of his first tasks is to help the team get younger up front, something general manager Eric DeCosta wants to see happen, per Shaffer:
Eric DeCosta said he spoke with Calais Campbell, a pending free agent, after the season. He expects more conversations.
But with Brandon Williams and Justin Ellis also UFAs, the defensive line could be headed in a new direction. “We need to get younger, for sure.”
Offering a short-term, prove-it deal to 28-year-old Goldman would get the process started.