Rams 2021 free agency preview: Darious Williams isn’t going anywhere (yahoo.com)
Darious Williams isn’t going anywhere
Cameron DaSilva
Mon, February 22, 2021
Darious Williams went into the 2020 season as a lesser-known player for the Rams. He hadn’t been a true starter before, but Los Angeles was relying on him to step up in the secondary alongside
Jalen Ramsey and
Troy Hill.
He did more than step up, though. He put together a Pro Bowl-worthy season, breaking out in a big way as one of the top cornerbacks in football. He dominated as a starter for the Rams this past season and will now become a restricted free agent.
Will Los Angeles try to work out a long-term deal? Or will the team force Williams to prove himself again with a one-year tender?
- 44 tackles (1 for a loss)
- 4 interceptions
- 14 pass breakups
- 54.2% completion rate allowed
- 480 yards allowed
- PFF grade: 80.0
Analysis
Everyone knows the names Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, as well as the impact they had on the Rams defense last season, but Williams was one of the top defenders in Los Angeles, too. He picked off four passes in the regular season and had a pick-six against the Seahawks in the wild-card round, breaking up a total of 16 passes in the regular season and playoffs combined.
Williams wasn’t technically the Rams’ No. 2 cornerback, playing the third-most snaps at the position behind Ramsey and Troy Hill, but he was undoubtedly their second-best corner last season. When quarterbacks targeted him, he often made plays on the ball, whether it was diving breakups or interceptions. He made highlight after highlight throughout the season, with each interception almost seeming better than the last. This pick against the Seahawks was especially good, diving to pick it off in front of the tight end.
View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1328129165690716161
But no play was more impactful than his pick-six against Seattle in the playoffs, which gave the Rams a 10-point cushion in the first half.
View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1348039413943554050
Williams is at his best when he’s playing off coverage and reading the quarterback. He has the instincts and short-area quickness to read routes and break on the ball, which allows him to create turnovers and impactful plays. After the pick-six against Seattle,
Williams told reporters that he saw the Seahawks run that screen pass “100 times on film.” So he puts in the work during the week, too.
Positional need: High
Williams and Hill will both be free agents, though Williams will, fortunately, be a restricted free agent, which makes it much easier to retain him. David Long Jr. should get a chance to play at some point, being a former third-round pick,
but he’s hardly a proven player at cornerback for the Rams.
The Rams need help at this position if they can't retain one of Hill or Williams. And in today’s NFL, you can never have too many defensive backs. The need for a cornerback lowers a bit if they can re-sign Williams, because at the very least, they’ll have Williams and Ramsey back as their starters in 2021.
Prediction: Receives 1st-round RFA tender
The Rams aren’t going to let Williams get away. They have the added benefit of being able to tender him as an RFA, which is an affordable and easy way to keep him in a Rams uniform.
According to Over The Cap, the first-round tender is projected to be worth $4.766 million, which is slightly more than the second-round tender ($3.384 million).
If the Rams use the first-round tender and they don’t match an offer sheet that he receives, they’ll get a first-round pick in return. That’s not a bad option, but the team would likely prefer to keep him after the season he had in 2020. I think they’ll give him a first-round tender at $4.766 million to all but ensure he returns – and after tendering him, they can try to work out a long-term