Defensive tackle Brandon Williams signed a lucrative extension with the Ravens this offseason and he believes that staying in Baltimore gives him the chance to be something special.
Williams’ return was one of several moves that Baltimore made on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. They signed safety Tony Jefferson and cornerback Brandon Carr as free agents and drafted four defensive players in the first three rounds in an attempt to build a unit that will carry on the team’s strong defensive tradition. Williams believes they have accomplished that task.
“The defense that is being built in Baltimore is one of the best -- we’re going to do something really special this year, I can feel it,” Williams said, via Gridiron Magazine. “Our defense is amazing. The bar set by our defense is already very high and our goal is to notch it up even more. The defense that helped us win that 2000 Super Bowl is the standard and every year we’re trying to reach and surpass that standard. We’re never satisfied and we always want to get better.”
The Ravens have drafted 14 players on defense over the last three years to go with veterans like Williams, Jefferson, Carr, Eric Weddle and Terrell Suggs, so they will need some of the youngsters to take a leap to reach the kind of heights Williams is talking about. Even if they do, finishing in the top 10 of yards allowed hasn’t gotten them to the playoffs in either of the last two seasons so they’re going to need something more on offense to snap that string.