Saints already starting to miss safety Marcus Williams in 2022
By Kristen Wong
The New Orleans Saints defense looks stout in 2022, but it's hard not to miss a talented safety like Marcus Williams.
Williams left the Saints in free agency to join the Baltimore Ravens, and in 2022 he's already recorded three interceptions.
The most number of picks he's recorded in a season is four, which he had in 2017 and 2019 in New Orleans, and so far he's on track to shatter his career-best.
NOLA acquired an aging albeit still productive ballhawking safety in Tyrann Mathieu this past offseason, yet Williams clearly has the higher ceiling and appears to be entering his prime.
Check out his crazy second interception of the Ravens-Dolphins game in Week 2:
Marcus Williams used his fingertips to grab this INT 👀
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 18, 2022
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/BHi27a3TSt
Saints may regret letting star safety Marcus Williams go in 2022
What the Saints franchise doesn't miss, however, is William's inconsistent tackling ability.
The Dolphins ended up beating the Ravens in a thrilling 42-38 affair in which Williams and Baltimore's secondary let Tua Tagovailoa pass for 469 yards. Baltimore was hurting prior to the game due to multiple cornerback injuries, and some of Miami's big yardage plays weren't necessarily Williams' fault, but it's still a bad look.
The Saints' secondary, on the other hand, limited Tom Brady to just 190 passing yards in Week 2. Compared to an offense packed with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, though, the Bucs' wide receiver room was noticeably weakened on Sunday and the Saints didn't have too much trouble containing the likes of Mike Evans and Breshad Perriman.
NOLA no doubt could have used an interception on Sunday -- with Ceedy Duce out of the picture, none of the Saints corners or safeties managed to pick off the GOAT. Through two games of the season, no Saints defender has recorded a single pick, which isn't cause for concern, but it makes you wonder how much better the secondary could be with Williams.
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It's just a thought. Mathieu and Maye are bound to notch a few interceptions this season, and besides, NOLA really doesn't need to worry about its defense in 2022.