Does Marcus Williams give the Ravens the NFL’s best secondary? – Baltimore Ravens Blog

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Everyone outside the Baltimore Ravens facility trumpeted the team’s biggest needs as the offensive line, defensive line and pass rush.

Yet no one should be surprised that Baltimore’s first free-agent addition was safety Marcus Williams — unless you weren’t listening to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta at his season-ending news conference last month.

“Our inability this year to create turnovers was probably an issue for us, and I would love to see us make the play this year coming up – intercept more passes, cause more fumbles, be more disruptive,” DeCosta said in February. “So, if the opportunity presents itself and we see a dynamic corner or a dynamic safety, of course, that would be something that would be attractive to us.”

On Tuesday, the Ravens found that dynamic safety, reaching an agreement with Williams on a five-year deal worth $70 million, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Beating out the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles for Williams could become the key in a dramatic turnaround on pass defense. Last season, Baltimore allowed the most passing yards in the NFL and a franchise-worst 31 touchdown passes.

Now, on the second day of free agency, the Ravens can make the argument that they have the best secondary in the league. And, honestly, this should be the top defensive backfield in football, given the investment. Over the last three years, Baltimore has spent $108 million in guaranteed money on Williams ($37 million), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey ($40.3 million) and Marcus Peters ($21 million) and safety Chuck Clark ($10 million).

Who can blame the Ravens? Their path to the Super Bowl goes through a loaded AFC quarterback field that includes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert. The Ravens need the players to…