The Baltimore Ravens signed one of the NFL’s top free agents when they agreed to terms with star safety Marcus Williams this offseason.
Williams is, by almost every account, one of the best safeties in the league and someone who can help transform a Ravens secondary that struggled mightily in 2021. However, clearly not everyone shares that belief.
EA Sports released their player ratings for the upcoming Madden 23 video game this week, and Williams’ 86 overall rating ranks him as the 16th best safety in the NFL.
Players like Devin McCourty, Jamal Adams, Jimmie Ward, Adrian Amos, and Jessie Bates all received higher grades that the perpetually underrated Williams.
An 86 overall is nothing to scoff at, but it’s hard to argue that Williams isn’t a top-10 safety in all of football.
Ravens safety Marcus Williams was snubbed by Madden
Williams has consistently graded out as one of the best safeties in the NFL since entering the league back in 2017. The former second-round pick has finished with a Pro Football Focus grade north of 80.0 in three of his five seasons to date.
In four of those five seasons, PFF has graded him as a top-seven safety in the league. No other safety in the entire NFL can say that during that same stretch.
Yet, despite this, Madden doesn’t even believe he’s among the top-15 players at his position.
It’s not just the analytics either. Williams has amassed 15 interceptions over his five years in the NFL. He’s averaging three interceptions per year and has never had fewer than two interceptions in a season.
In fact, PFF even ranked Williams as the third-best coverage free safety in the NFL just this past May. That was notably ahead of the likes of Jessie Bates, Justin Simmons, and Minkah Fitzpatrick who were all rated significantly higher than Williams.
You’d think that Williams would finally get the respect he deserves after signing a hefty five-year, $70 million contract this offseason. But for whatever reason, the Madden developers continue to overlook his consistent excellence.
Whatever the case, Marcus Williams will look to continue his stretch of stellar play with his new team. Maybe one day he’ll receive the respect he deserves from the Madden overlords.