Getty One Ravens' DB is "still the best" in the NFL in a key area.
Things are going in reverse for the Baltimore Ravens on offense right at a time when the defense is hitting high gear. The unit is being powered by a versatile secondary featuring a trio of defensive backs without equal in key areas of the game.
One of those DBs, free safety Marcus Williams is “still the best in the league” at one particular skill. That’s according to former NFL safety Matt Bowen, now a senior analyst for ESPN, who has ranked multiple cornerbacks and safeties based on 17 specific traits.
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Williams graded as the defensive back with the best range in Bowen’s annual shutdown index. In fact, Bowen is “going with Williams for the second consecutive year. His range from post and split-field alignments is still the best in the league. And Williams will finish when he overlaps throws to the boundary or at the third level of the field. A highly instinctual defender who can get a jump on vertical concepts, Williams has four interceptions and six pass breakups this season — in only seven games played.”
Those numbers are beyond impressive from a player who has missed significant time due to a wrist injury. The problem landed Williams on injured reserve following Week 5’s 19-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Williams returned to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, when he promptly broke up a pass and snatched an interception. The splash plays highlighted a near-flawless game in coverage from the 26-year-old, per PFF BAL Ravens:
Marcus Williams vs the Steelers in his first game since Week 5:
⚫️ 79.8 PFF grade
🟣 35 coverage snaps
⚫️ 0 receptions allowed
🟣 1 interception
⚫️ 0.0 passer rating allowed
Performances like that justify the $70 million over five years committed by the Ravens to lure Williams from the New Orleans Saints in free agency. The Ravens haven’t had a free safety this effective and opportunistic in coverage since the days when the great Ed Reed patrolled the back end.
Reed was a special athlete who also impacted offenses on the blitz. Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is using Williams in the same way, blitzing him four times in his first five games, according to Pro Football Reference.
While Reed was often the lone standout in the defensive backfields he led, Williams is just one member of a burgeoning trio on the verge of dominance.
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Bowen also gave top marks to cornerback Marlon Humphrey and Williams’ fellow safety Kyle Hamilton. The latter was named best rookie safety “thanks to rare size for the position, with explosive top-down ability.”
Hamilton’s versatility has also helped him stand out, with the former Notre Dame star also considered a “revelation” playing the slot. Like Williams, Hamilton is also rewarding a significant investment from the Ravens as the 14th player taken in this year’s draft.
Humphrey was also a top-20 pick, selected 16th overall in 2017. He’s steadily developed into what Bowen called football’s “most versatile cornerback.”
No. 44 merits the accolade because of his “physical coverage traits, blitz ability and positional flexibility. The veteran has registered 555 snaps as an outside corner, with 147 snaps in the slot and 36 more as an outside linebacker/overhang defender.”
Being able to use Humphrey in so many ways has increased how Macdonald designs and disguises pressure. He’s been aggressive sending Humphrey after quarterbacks, like on this successful CB blitz against the Saints in Week 9:
CB blitz leads to a @marlon_humphrey sack 😤
📺: #BALvsNO on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/ItTaAQcu0C
Humphrey has had his issues in coverage at times, but he’s still performed consistently enough to earn a third Pro-Bowl invite:
Thank you everyone that voted me in! I don’t take this honor for granted🙏🏿
Humphrey’s ascent mirrors the improvement made by the Ravens’ defense as a whole. The group now ranks fourth in points and 10th in yards after a run of giving up 14 points or less in five of the last six games.
With three starters under the age of 27, a loaded secondary will continue to inspire the Ravens’ defense to greater heights.
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Ravens DB ‘Still the Best in the League’ in Key Area