After an extremely disappointing rookie season, Tim Williams is flashing the brilliance Baltimore believed he was capable of thus far in the preseason.
When the Ravens spent the 78th overall pick on edge rusher Tim Williams, the hope was he would become a devastating pass rusher and terrorize quarterbacks from day one. The former University of Alabama Crimson Tide member was largely unsuccessful his rookie season, notching just six tackles in eight games played.
After many, including yours truly, had invested such high hopes into the then-23-year old, it felt that we needed to take a step back and lower those expectations. With a great depth at the pass rushing position headed into 2018, it was easy to imagine Williams getting caught up in the commotion. That hasn’t been the case so far this preseason.
Instead, Williams put on a show thus far. During the Hall of Fame Game, Williams may have failed to record a sack, but he was in the backfield all night long, putting the fear of God into opposing quarterbacks.
Tim Williams was impressive rushing the passer in the Hall of Fame Game! pic.twitter.com/1jG9HuSkEk
— PFF (@PFF) August 3, 2018
Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams was no different. Tim Williams posted his first career sack and also managed to force a fumble on Rams quarterback Brandon Allen. It was electric. Williams came screaming off the edge, using the deadly speed he displayed while at Alabama.
During his tenure with the Crimson Tide, Williams was a pass rushing ace. He recorded 18.5 sacks over his last two seasons, and was routinely a quarterback’s worst nightmare. But this isn’t news to Williams. No, Williams is very confident in his play as a pass rusher.
More of the same to Mr. Tim Williams:
“Pass rushing is my bread and butter,” Tim Williams said in an interview provided by baltimoreravens.com. This isn’t just boasting, as former New York Giants coach Ray Perkins declared that he reminded him a bit of Lawrence Taylor (per Jamison Hensley of espn.com). When it comes to comparisons to pass rushers, it doesn’t get any sweeter than a comparison to the original L.T.
The odds of Williams ever amounting to what Taylor did is highly unlikely, as he’s arguably the greatest defensive player of all-time. This isn’t to knock Williams whatsoever! It’s just simply unfair to place such a high expectation on someone so young. But, if he can even sniff that potential, the Ravens will have the biggest steal of the 2017 NFL Draft.
At the time of the pick, we were all excited for Tim Williams’ potential. It took a little over a year, but we are finally seeing what we had hoped for when Baltimore drafted Williams. Hopefully this preseason is a sign of things to come, as Williams would change the entire dynamic of the Ravens defense.