So here’s an interesting angle to the news of Marcus Williams leaving the New Orleans Saints to go join the Baltimore Ravens. Williams and his new teammates are one of the teams scheduled to play the Saints in New Orleans this year — but that game could get moved to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London as part of the NFL’s international series. The Saints will host the same-ranked AFC North team in 2024, too (based off 2023 standings), so there’s a chance they end up playing against Williams at home twice in the next three years.
Either way, it seems all but likely Williams will get his chance at a “revenge game” against the team that drafted him, and where he played the most snaps of any defensive player since 2017. We should expect Williams to be lining up deep in Baltimore’s defensive backfield whenever and wherever they square up with New Orleans.
And he’ll be a challenging opponent. Williams’ ability to cross the field in a hurry saved the Saints from allowed so many explosive plays over the years, and his skills as a ballhawk make him a threat to take possession away at a moment’s notice. Whoever starts for New Orleans at quarterback is going to have a tough time keeping the ball out of harm’s way with Williams flying around in the secondary.
We’ve seen flashes of it in practice and at training camp, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. Maybe seeing what Williams is capable of on another team is what some fans who still hold you-know-what against him to appreciate his abilities.
