Marcus Alan Williams
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Marcus Alan Williams (born September 8, 1996) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
for the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
.


Early years

Williams attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California. He played wide receiver and
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
for the Mustangs
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. He also played
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
and ran
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
. He committed to play
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at the
University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
over competing scholarship offers from
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
and
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.


College career

As a true freshman at Utah in 2014, Williams played in all 13 games and made six starts. He finished the 2014 season with 59 tackles and an
interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
. As a sophomore in 2015, he was named first-team All-
Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
after he recorded 65 tackles and five interceptions in 13 starts. He intercepted a pass from
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
's
Jared Goff Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, where he set the Pac-12 Conference season records for passing ...
in the Utes' 30–24 win on October 10. As a junior in 2016, after missing some games due to injury, he returned on November 10 against Arizona State and recorded nine tackles and had an interception in the end zone. He played in 11 games, recording 64 tackles and five interceptions. He recorded four interceptions during the regular season and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection. After the season, Williams entered the
2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. He finished his college career with 11 interceptions and 188 total tackles. He was predicted to be a first-round or second-round selection by several sportswriters and
mock draft Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to vote towards a sp ...
s.


Professional career

Williams received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the combine drills. He also attended Utah's Pro Day and opted to only run positional drills for team scouts and representatives. NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be selected in the second or third round. He was ranked the fifth best safety in the draft by NFL analyst
Bucky Brooks William Eldridge "Bucky" Brooks Jr. (born January 22, 1971) is a sportswriter and former professional American football player. He played for five National Football League (NFL) teams in a five-year career, primarily as a kick returner. Brooks i ...
,
Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...
, and ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', ranked the third best free safety by NFLDraftScout.com, and was ranked the eighth best safety by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.


New Orleans Saints


2017

The
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
selected Williams in the second round (42nd overall) of the
2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. He was the sixth safety selected in 2017. On June 3, 2017, the New Orleans Saints signed Williams to a four-year, $6.24 million contract that includes $3.42 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.67 million. During training camp, Williams competed for the role as a starting free safety against Vonn Bell. Head coach Sean Payton officially named him the backup, behind Bell, to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the New Orleans Saints' season-opener at the Minnesota Vikings and recorded five combined tackles in their 29–19 loss. He was credited with his first career tackle on wide receiver Stefon Diggs after pushing him out of bounds on the Vikings' first drive, but drew an unnecessary roughness penalty after hitting Diggs while he was out of bounds. On September 24, 2017, Williams assisted on two tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass by Cam Newton during a 34–13 win at the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
in Week 3. He was inactive for the Saints' Week 13 victory against the Carolina Panthers, due to a groin injury he sustained the previous week. On December 31, 2017, Williams collected a season-high eight combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made a season-high two interceptions off pass attempts by
Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...
in the Saints' 31–24 loss at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. He finished his rookie season with 73 combined tackles (59 solo), seven pass deflections, and four interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts. During the season, Williams was used as a third safety in Dennis Allen's three-safety technique and as an extra defensive back in nickel and dime packages. Pro Football Focus gave Williams an overall grade of 86.8, ranking him 11th among all qualified safeties in 2017. The Saints finished first in the
NFC South The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...
with an 11–5 record. On January 7, 2018, Williams started his first career playoff game and recorded eight combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 31–26 victory against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wildcard Game. On January 14, 2018, Williams made five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from
Case Keenum Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing ...
, enabling the Saints to score a touchdown and bring their score within three points of the Vikings. At the end of the game, with the Saints up by one point, Williams whiffed trying to hit Stefon Diggs instead of tackling him. With no other defenders between him and the end zone, Diggs took an intermediate pass along the right sideline from Keenum for a 61-yard touchdown as time expired. The play lifted Minnesota to a 29–24 victory in the NFC Divisional Round and eliminated New Orleans from the playoffs. On that play, Williams lowered his head and attempted to hit Diggs without seeing him. He not only whiffed on Diggs, he accidentally knocked teammate
Ken Crawley Ken Crawley (born February 8, 1993) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Colorado. He also played for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and the Arizona Cardinals. Professional career Ne ...
off his feet. The play became known as the Minneapolis Miracle.


2018

Head coach Sean Payton retained Williams as the starting free safety in 2018. He started alongside strong safety
Kurt Coleman Kurt Coleman (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Early years Coleman graduated from Northmo ...
. On September 16, 2018, Williams recorded four solo tackles, deflected a pass, and made an interception during a 21–18 victory against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
in Week 2.


2019

In week 1 against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Williams intercepted a pass from Deshaun Watson that was intended for DeAndre Hopkins in the 30–28 win. In week 4 against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, Williams intercepted a Hail Mary pass from Dak Prescott to seal a 12–10 win. In week 7 against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, Williams forced a fumble on rookie runningback David Montgomery which was recovered by teammate
A. J. Klein Aaron James Klein (born July 30, 1991) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Iowa State. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. High school career Klein a ...
in the 36–25 win. In week 11 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, Williams recorded a 55-yard pick six off
Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...
in the 34–17 win.


2020

In Week 1 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, Williams recorded his first interception off a pass thrown by Tom Brady during the 34–23 win.


2021

On March 9, 2021, the Saints placed the franchise tag on Williams. He signed the one-year tender on March 30.


Baltimore Ravens

On March 16, 2022, Williams signed a five-year $70 million contract with the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
.


2022

In Week 1 against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, he was the team's leading tackler with 12 combined tackles as well as a 33-yard interception return and a forced fumble. The Ravens would win 24–9. He suffered a dislocated wrist in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2022. He was activated on December 10.


References


External links

*
New Orleans Saints bio

Utah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Marcus 1996 births Living people Sportspeople from Corona, California Players of American football from California American football safeties Utah Utes football players People from Eastvale, California New Orleans Saints players Baltimore Ravens players