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Ravens Expected To Release 'Expensive' Safety

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Anthony Licciardi | Last updated Feb 28, 2025 5:56 PM ET

As the Baltimore Ravens look to get over the hump and win their first Super Bowl of the Lamar Jackson era, a series of difficult decisions will have to be made. With $12 million in cap space and no shortage of veteran departures to fill, there’s destined to be heavy turnover in the middle and bottom of the roster.

Among the transactions likely to occur in the coming weeks is the release of safety Marcus Williams.

Williams was benched in 2024, signaling the end of his three-year stint in Baltimore. As the team gears up for the feeding frenzy in March, it will do so with another hole in the secondary.

According to ESPN, the Ravens are expected to release the expensive safety ahead of free agency.

“Ravens safety Marcus Williams is preparing for free agency with the full expectation that Baltimore releases him, per source,” Jeremy Fowler wrote.

“A recent contract restructure includes a significant trigger March 13.”

Williams is set to cost Baltimore $8.8 million against the cap in 2025. By cutting him with a post-June 1 designation, the Ravens wouldn’t receive the benefits until the summer, but would save $2.1 million, with the remaining $6.7 incurred as dead cap (per Over the Cap).

That’s not a ton of relief, but given Williams’ struggles in 2024 – easily the worst year of his career – there’s little reason for Baltimore not to look for reinforcements.

Williams was benched midseason, appearing in 11 games and logging two passes defended. For the first time in his career, he finished his season without an interception. Williams was added as a playmaking ball hawk in the back end, but his coverage numbers turned sour in his age-28 season. He allowed more yards in fewer snaps than either of his prior campaigns with the Ravens, becoming a liability for a pass defense that ranked 14th in expected points added per dropback and eighth in success rate, suggesting that explosives were an issue.

Expect safety Ar’Darius Washington to take his spot on the 2025 defense unless a significant move is made to address the secondary.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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