The Ravens have officially announced the release of veteran safety Marcus Williams, per club staff writer Clifton Brown. The two sides agreed to a restructure back in January to help facilitate this exit, and now it’s come to fruition. The move will have a post-June 1 designation, as expected.
Following a five-year run in New Orleans, Williams was one of the league’s top free agents in 2022. He inked a five-year, $70MM deal with the Ravens that year and naturally faced high expectations upon arrival. The early returns were promising, as Williams intercepted three passes in his first two games in Baltimore and ultimately finished the campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 18th-best safety out of 88 qualified players.
That said, the formerly durable defender was limited to 10 games in 2022 due to injury, and he missed six more in 2023. His health woes — along with, perhaps, the depatures of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson — conspired to tank Williams’ 2024 showing.
Williams was at less than full strength for much of last year, though his starting spot was not in jeopardy early in the season. Poor performance and missed assignments forced the Ravens to bench him as part of their midseason defensive adjustments, and from Week 11 onward, Williams appeared in a grand total of two snaps.
Baltimore’s defense performed much better after the benching, which made the decision to cut ties with Williams — who finished as PFF’s second-worst qualified safety in 2024 — even easier. The club will move forward with Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington at the safety spots, and the 28-year-old Williams will seek an opportunity to rebuild his stock and return to the form that made him a hot commodity not too long ago.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.