Getty FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 15: Brandon Williams #98 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium on November 15, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens are aiming toward the future of the offseason, and the team might have some tough choices to make in the coming days about what happens to their roster.
Like most teams in the NFL, the Ravens have some tough choices to make about who stays and who goes given the financial realities that exist. Obviously, the Ravens are going to have some bigger moves to be made in the coming weeks and months, so it’s more than possible there will have to be significant changes in order to help facilitate those moves.
So what happens? Recently, Pro Football Focus and writer Brad Spielberger put together a list of every team’s top cut candidate, and veteran Brandon Williams was said to be the best choice for a Ravens release
Why is that? Spielberger wrote:
“The Ravens don’t have a pressing need to make this move, and Williams was still a solid nose tackle clogging up the middle for Baltimore last year, grading out at 67.2 overall. But with a ton of Ravens players in need of new contracts — both free agents like Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue and young stars like QB Lamar Jackson and TE Mark Andrews — Baltimore has to clear room somewhere.”
It’s true the Ravens are thinking about how to reshape their team and a veteran like Williams could make sense as a possible cut in the coming days. If the team brings back younger players, this could be even more of the case as is pointed out in the piece.
Brandon Williams Stats
At 32 years old, Williams is aging a little bit at this point in his career and might be closer to the end than the beginning. Even such, there’s no debating how solid he has been as a player through his career after being a 2013 third-round draft pick of Baltimore. Williams has only known one team throughout his career and has put up a solid 259 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 defensive touchdown. Those numbers have kept him solidly as a rotational player for years with the Ravens given how hard it is to find solid interior bodies for a team.
Ravens Defense Could See Significant Changes
The Ravens had a solid season under Don ‘Wink’ Martindale on defense, finishing as a top 10 unit and also finishing with a solid 39 sacks on the year. That was due in great part to the work of several free agents, including Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee. Odds are, however, that all of those players will not come back, especially with Baltimore’s limited funds. It’s more than possible the defense is going to take the hit in a major way given the number of players that could leave, so prioritizing who to bring back will be key, as will be drafting the right pieces this coming season.
Letting the majority of these free agent defenders walk while drafting a younger crop may be the way the Ravens look to go about solving their problems this offseason. That’s especially true given the team seems to need a bit more help on the offensive side of the ball to give their squad the needed boost.
An unexpected starter like Williams getting the boot might also play out in the coming weeks in order to save some money.