Baltimore Ravens: 5 players who won’t be back in 2022
By Justin Fried
1. Brandon Williams, NT, Ravens
Brandon Williams has been a staple of the Ravens defensive line for close to a decade now. But at 32-years-old, it’s safe to say that his best years are behind him.
Williams was signed to a massive five-year, $54 million extension back in 2017, and for the most part, he’s lived up to that contract.
Even last year, Williams was still a reliable presence in the middle of the Ravens’ defense. But he’s fallen off a proverbial cliff in 2021.
Through seven games, Williams is ranked as Pro Football Focus‘ 113th best interior defensive lineman out of only 120 qualifiers. And the thing that he’s always done best — stop the run — has been his biggest weakness.
Williams’ 30.8 PFF run-defense grade ranks 123rd out of 126 qualifiers at his position making him statistically one of the worst run defenders in football.
He has just four solo tackles, zero sacks, zero QB hits, and just one tackle for loss this season. By all accounts, Williams has been one of the Ravens’ worst overall players.
That certainly doesn’t make his near $13 million cap hit in 2021 seem any better. Fortunately, Williams is playing in the final year of his contract meaning that the Ravens won’t be saddled with his hefty salary in 2022.
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The longtime nose tackle stalwart has had an excellent career in Baltimore, but it seems like a near-lock that he won’t be back next season.
It’s probably in the best interest of both parties to move on in the offseason.