Under the spotlight: Tim Williams in for big year for Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have been waiting for a return investment for third-year edge rusher Tim Williams, but 2019 could finally see him reach that potential.

With the 78th pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Tim Williams, linebacker, from the University of Alabama.

That felt like a steal at the time, right? A player who former New York Giants and Alabama coach Ray Perkins compared to transcendent pass-rusher Lawrence Taylor was coming to Baltimore to terrify quarterbacks across these fruited plains — at the mere cost of a third-round pick. A player often mocked to the Ravens in the first round during the early stages of the draft process had fallen to the 78th overall pick because of some off-the-field concerns, and the Ravens were the beneficiary of that turn of events.

It was just a matter of time before Williams would be zipping past offensive tackles with that electric first step, turning that corner with his remarkable bend and planting the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger on his no.7, leaving M&T Bank Stadium shaking from the thunderous reaction by a defense-fueled Ravens crowd.

Fast forward to today. We’re still waiting.

Oh, there have been glimpses of his talent, especially during last year’s preseason. Training camp reports in 2018 suggested Williams was a different player in his second pro offseason, and he certainly displayed some of his jaw-dropping athleticism in preseason games. But nagging injuries got hold of Williams, and there were whispers he landed in the infamous John Harbaugh doghouse. For his first two NFL seasons, Williams has played in 15 games, logging 16 total tackles and two sacks.

That is only two more sacks than I have accumulated in the last two years, and I’m more likely to be found sitting on my couch in boxer shorts while dipping spare ribs into Cheez Whiz than I am chasing Baker Mayfield around on third down.

But there are opportunities this season for Williams to turn things around and get himself firmly into the conversation of talented young pass-rushers. Terrell Suggs is now playing in Arizona, while Za’Darius Smith has taken his skills to Lambeau Field for the Green Bay Packers. To be fair, those players, along with Matt Judon and Williams’ draft classmate Tyus Bowser, didn’t leave a lot of snaps lying around. But, also in the interests of fairness, Williams didn’t exactly jump on the opportunities he did get.

This third year is huge for Williams, and his future in Baltimore. If he doesn’t realize his potential this season and take a giant step forward, he is vulnerable to not making the roster in 2020.

A player in the final year of his contract who isn’t helping the team and doesn’t offer a significant possibility of a compensatory pick the next season is not a valued commodity — not when the team can draft a guy in the sixth round to take up the same amount of space on the bench and maybe contribute more on special teams.

Williams is a special talent, probably the most physically gifted of the Ravens’ pass-rushers. It’s his time to make a difference this season. It might be now or never for him in Baltimore.