It’s been a rough season for Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams to say the least.
Once viewed as a quality starter to pair with All-Pro Kyle Hamilton, Williams’ play has seen a sudden, drastic decline this season. The eight-year veteran has allowed a passer rating of 148.4, by far the worst of his career. For context, 158.3 is a perfect passer rating.
Recently, Williams has seen the field very little, being inactive in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and playing just one snap in each of the two games prior. As a result, Ar’Darius Washington has moved up to being the new starter opposite Hamilton.
Despite that, defensive coordinator Zach Orr believes there’s still a path for Williams to get back on the field.
“Just continue to grind, continue to get better and continue to play hard – [with] physicality [and] make plays,” Orr said Tuesday. “I just think, right now, essentially, the two guys that we’ve been rolling with – ‘A.D.’ [Washington] and ‘K-Ham’ – they’ve just been playing a little bit better. So, it’s no indictment to Marcus; it’s just a production business, and those guys [have] been more productive. I truly believe that Marcus is still a good – really good – football player, and I feel like, if he has to step in for us, that he would be able to go in there and do a heck of a job for us.”
This situation is definitely new for Williams, who started every game he played prior to this recent stretch. The Ravens believe he’s handled it well, so that could help him get more playing time at some point.
“For one thing, Marcus is a professional,” assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt said. “He still approaches the game the same way. He’s going to come into the meeting rooms and take the game plan and continue to try to contribute as much as he possibly can. Is it a jolt to his system? Absolutely. He wants to be out there.”
Williams has 20 career interceptions, so there’s definitely worse options to have as insurance in case of injury. That is, if he can overcome whatever’s been plaguing him this season.
