Analyzing the New Orleans Saints pending free agents

S Marcus Williams

In my opinion, Marcus Williams has been the most overlooked player on the Saints throughout his four-year career.

He’ll forever be known for the Minneapolis Miracle, but outside of that, the former second-round pick out of Utah has been an absolute force for the defense:

That’s right, Williams is one of the premier safeties in the entire NFL. Not only has he played practically every defensive snap since debuting as a rookie in 2017, but he is the perfect rangy free safety for today’s game.

His 30 career pass deflections and 13 career interceptions reflect his playmaking ability, and passer rating allowed isn’t a good statistic to use for safeties, considering they rarely align one-on-one versus a receiver/tight end.

Williams is critiqued for his poor tackling, but he missed only 4.8% of his tackle attempts in 2020 and has allowed under 80 yards after the catch in two of the past three seasons. In reality, he is a very talented playmaker with a well-rounded skill set that simply gets overlooked because of poor timing for his worst plays.

The team that signs Williams will be getting a tremendous value, especially since he is only 24-years-old. Will it be the Saints?

Almost certainly not, considering that they rarely pay up for safeties and he is likely to earn a decent contract in free agency.

Should it be? Taking into account positional value, he certainly would have been a priority to retain over Alvin Kamara, Andrus Peat, Demario Davis, among others.

Chances He’s Back: Almost 0%

Recommended Contract: He’s Worth More Than He’ll Get Paid

Should He Back? If Somehow Possible, Absolutely