OWINGS MILLS — Ravens safety Marcus Williams was in no mood to talk about the multiple injuries he endured since signing with the team in 2022.
Over the past two seasons, Williams has missed 13 regular-season games because of various ailments.
Williams is looking to put those setbacks behind him and stay healthy throughout the 2024 season.
“Injuries happen in the year, and you’ve just got to overcome those injuries and just push past them, which I think I’m pretty good at doing,” Williams said.
Williams was a durable player for the New Orleans Saints, who drafted him in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. Williams made the All-Rookie Team and missed just four games over five seasons in New Orleans.
On March 16th, 2022, Williams signed a five-year $70 million contract with the Ravens. However, Williams missed seven games in that first season with a dislocated wrist.
Last year, he was out for three consecutive games after suffering a pectoral injury in the regular-season opener against the Houston Texans. He missed three more games because of a hamstring injury against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6.
Williams is not worried about the injury history or proving to anyone that he can stay healthy.
“It’s not about showing anybody anything; it’s about showing myself what I can do,” he said. “I never worry about showing anybody what I can do. I just stay true to me and go out there, perform to the best of my ability no matter what’s going on, and that’s just … As football players, you’ve got to overcome adversity and face that, look it in the eye and just never give up.”
The safety duo of Williams and Kyle Hamilton was ranked the best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. The Ravens’ safeties had a 93.5 coverage grade in 2023.
The key is for both players to stay on the field. Hamilton missed the recent mandatory minicamp with an elbow injury but should be ready for the season.
“Rankings don’t mean anything,” Williams said. “Performance from last year is not performance from this year. We know what we can do. We know what type of players we are. We’re confident in ourselves. I mean, I think I’m the best; [Kyle Hamilton] thinks he’s the best; everybody thinks they’re the best. But who performs the best? So, I think our expectation is to be our best, to excel past our best and go out there and perform and help us win some games.”