Baltimore Ravens need more out of Brandon Williams
With Michael Pierce’s readiness being called into question Brandon Williams needs to be the unquestioned leader of the defensive line:
The Baltimore Ravens have a habit of finding quality defensive linemen on a regular basis. Letting Brandon Williams go in free agency would have been an easy thing to do. It was a lot easier than signing a big five year contract. The Ravens valued Williams as one of the best defensive tackles in football and they paid him like it. Williams is a good player but the Ravens need him to be great.
Williams is never going to have a high sack count, yet it would be nice to have a career high greater than two sacks in a season. Williams has to do a better job pushing the pocket for some interior pass rush. The Ravens missed out on Gerald McCoy, the jury is still out on Willie Henry and Michael Pierce may show up to training camp still out of shape. Williams has to step up and be more than just a space eater.
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It should be noted that Williams is a very good space eater. He clogs up rushing lanes and demands double teams up front. Williams’s yearly salary ranks 11th among defensive tackles in the NFL according to Spotrac. That puts Williams in some impressive company. Out of the top 15 highest paid defensive tackles, he very well be the most one dimensional player.
Williams had 34 tackles and a sack last season. That’s not great production for a 3-4 defensive end. Williams job may be to help linebackers get the glory, but he needs to get his own production as well. Pro Football Focus has him ranked in the “Above Average” category. The Ravens need a little bit better than that from Williams.
The Ravens defensive line could be very good yet there are a lot of unknown quantities on the defensive front. Daylon Mack and Gerald Willis haven’t played a snap yet; while Chris Wormley, Zach Sieler and Willie Henry aren’t exactly proven players. Pierce and Williams are the two players the Ravens need to count on the most along the defensive line.
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This isn’t hating on Williams. He is a good player whose numbers don’t tell the entire story. This is just a way of saying he needs to do more than he is. He doesn’t need to become an Aaron Donald or a Fletcher Cox like player. That’s never going to happen. He just needs to offer more pass rush and be a little more dominant at what he is already good at.