Brandon Williams named as ‘chopping block’ option by CBS Sports

The Baltimore Ravens will be relying on leadership from some of their veteran players to help guide talented young playmakers both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. People like Sammy Watkins, Kevin Zeitler, Calais Campbell, Pernell McPhee, and Jimmy Smith can steer young players through the season as well as teach them valuable lessons along the way.

Another solid veteran on Baltimore’s roster is defensive tackle Brandon Williams. He’s been a mainstay on the Ravens’ defensive line for years, providing the team with great play and even better leadership qualities. However, when looking at veterans for all 32 teams who could be on the “chopping block” in 2021, Patrik Walker of CBS Sports chose Williams for Baltimore.

“Everybody can’t stick around, and that means the Ravens have some difficult decisions to make in the next few months. They have several key players set to hit free agency in 2022 — including Calais Campbell — and Williams’ salary could make it difficult to begin maneuvering in contract talks with others. Williams is set to hit the team’s salary cap for a robust $12.9 million (third-highest on the team) in 2021, yet played in only one-third of the team’s defensive snaps in 2020 and missed three games, to boot. Already being a couple years on the wrong side of 30 doesn’t help his case, along with the fact his trajectory isn’t aimed north.”

At this point in the offseason, it seems unlikely that the Ravens would move off of a key part of their defense, especially considering that Baltimore doesn’t have a plethora of depth on the defensive line behind Williams, Calais Campbell, and Derek Wolfe outside Justin Madubuike. While it’s arguable that Williams’ salary is a bit large for how often he actually plays, it’s not like he’s fallen off of a cliff in terms of his contributions on the field.

While there’s a possibility that Williams could get cut before the 2021 season, it doesn’t seem very likely. In all likelihood, he will continue to be a solid contributor on Baltimore’s defensive line as they look to win a Super Bowl title.