Ravens Sign OG Bobbie Williams

Let me Start by saying that this is, by far, my favorite move the Ravens have made this offseason(outside of the draft). I have been quietly campaigning for Williams for months now (you can read my thoughts and a slightly more in depth scouting report here and  here) and I think he is a perfect fit for the Ravens roster.

Bobbie Williams is a long time veteran who has played for the Bengals for the last eight seasons. Williams has a nasty streak about ten miles long and is one of the better run blocking Guards in the NFL and has been for years. Williams isnt likely to start, but he gives the Ravens a very reliable insurance in case of injuries to Yanda or whoever wins the RG battle, or if no true starter emerges from the RG battle, he is capable of filling the role as a starter.

Williams would have been a much more sought after(and more expensive) player had he played all of last season. Unfortunately his season was ended prematurely with an ankle injury and he only played in 9 games. The ankle shouldn’t be a huge concern for Ravens fans seeing as Williams has a very long streak of durability and had only missed 3 games since 2004 coming in to last season.

Williams has been considered a good team-mate and a great locker-room presence for years by NFL insiders and players and he just adds one more strong leader to a locker -room that already has an absurd number of strong leaders. Williams was so respected by the Bengals organization that as recently as Monday he was rehabbing his ankle and working out at the Bengals facilities. For those of you who don’t know, it is extremely extremely rare for an unrestricted free agent to be allowed to work out with his former team unless he signs a contract. It is even rarer for a team to spend money for their medical staff to work with a player that they will be playing against when the season rolls around. In short, it means they think very highly of Williams as a man and a player.

The deal is reportedly for two years. No numbers are known because the deal has yet to be signed but i would assume Williams deal with be worth around 2.5 million.