Marcus Williams is the Ravens’ best secondary player in the NFL? Baltimore Ravens Blog

OWINGS MILLS Md. Everyone else Baltimore Ravens facility trumpeted the team’s biggest needs as the offensive line, defensive line and pass rush.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Baltimore’s first-ever free-agent addition was safety Marcus Williams — unless you weren’t listening to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta at his season-ending news conference last month.

“Our inability this year to create turnovers was probably an issue for us, and I would love to see us make the play this year coming up – intercept more passes, cause more fumbles, be more disruptive,” DeCosta said in February. “So, if the opportunity presents itself and we see a dynamic corner or a dynamic safety, of course, that would be something that would be attractive to us.”

On Tuesday, the Ravens found that dynamic safety, reaching an agreement with Williams on a five-year deal worth $70 million, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Beat the New York JetsThe Philadelphia EaglesWilliams could be the key to a dramatic turnaround in pass defense. Baltimore had the NFL’s highest passing yards and the worst 31 touchdown passes.

The Ravens can now claim that they have the league’s best secondary on the second day. Given the investment, this should be considered the best defensive backfield football has to offer. Baltimore has spent $108million in guaranteed money over the past three years on Williams ($37M), cornerbacks, and cornerbacks. Marlon Humphrey($40.3 Million) Marcus PetersSafety (at least $121 million) Chuck Clark ($10 million).

The Ravens are a shame. Their route to the Super Bowl involves a loaded AFC quarterback field. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Russell WilsonAnd Justin Herbert. If they are to bounce back after a disappointing finish in the divisional round, the Ravens will need their players to be able to provide coverage.

Baltimore knew that Baltimore would see a significant improvement with the return Pro Bowl cornerbacks Humphrey (left) and Peters (right), who missed 22 games combined last season. Humphrey has been a strong physical defender and forced nine fumbles over the past two seasons. Peters has an NFL-best 31 interceptions, which is the best since 2015.

Clark was the safety and the ball-hawking safety that Williams needed to be there. Williams has accumulated 15 interceptions and stopped 38 passes over his five-year-long career. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Williams has been a dangerous threat to opposing quarterbacks since 2017, making a play (recording an intercept or breaking up a passing) on a league-best 27.6%. That’s a significant upgrade for a Ravens team that finished with nine interceptions last season, the second-fewest in franchise history.

The Ravens want their defense to be more aggressive in close games. Baltimore has lost 10 of its last 12 games by six or less points in the last two seasons. Baltimore has given up 20 touchdown passes in that span and also recorded three interceptions during the fourth quarter.

It’s fair to wonder why Baltimore didn’t make an offensive tackle or a pass-rusher their top free-agent target. The Ravens gave up a franchise-record 57 sacks, and they haven’t had anyone produce double-digits sacks since 2017. Baltimore signed offensive tackle Morgan MosesLater Tuesday night

But this was a deal that DeCosta couldn’t pass up. Williams is the Ravens’ highest-graded safety, according to Pro Football Focus, at $14 million per season. This ranks seventh among all safeties. Williams, who is now 25, is in his prime and has been injured only five times during his five-year career.

What you can’t criticize the Ravens for is deviating from their free agency formula. Baltimore doesn’t make many splashes at this time of year. The Ravens spend a lot on safetyties when they do. For a defense that long had Ed Reed roaming deep downfield, it feels like the Ravens have been on an endless search for another centerfielder, whether it’s Tony Jefferson, Eric WeddleOr Earl Thomas.

There have been varying results, from a Pro Bowl player (Weddle) to one of the team’s biggest free-agent busts (Thomas). All of them were cut before their contracts expired.

Williams needs to be a difference-maker, or there will be questions on why Baltimore didn’t use its limited cap space elsewhere.