Brandon Williams joked about playing between “twin towers,” referring to the Ravens’ biggest offseason additions: Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe.
The overhauled defensive line is part of an aggressive strategy by general manager Eric DeCosta to boost the interior pass rush and run defense. That unit will also be a perfect complement to the secondary, which will be among the best in the NFL.
“Those two additions, Wolfe and Calais, I’ve got the twin towers right next to me – those two giants,” Williams said. “I don’t see how offenses can come at us, man. Those two dudes are good, and I like what I’ve got. I like my team. I like the way they look, and the new guys are coming up great. We’ve got a lot of things going for us on the D-line and I’m excited to see it.”
The Ravens’ defensive line was mostly solid against the run last season with Williams as the anchor. They allowed 93.4 yards rushing per game, which ranked fifth in the NFL. However, that unit struggled to get to the quarterback and managed just five sacks.
The Ravens’ front seven was completely exposed in the divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Henry ran for 195 yards on 30 carries and Tennessee was never threatened in their 28-12 victory.
The Ravens will have a chance to get some measure of revenge when the teams meet at M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 22.
“I feel like games like that, you always learn something from it,” Williams said. “You are never down about it, but you are always excited that you can play another season and get that taste out of your mouth, for sure. You definitely learn from those situations. Run defense-wise, we learned [that] we have to execute more. We have to be stout at more positions. We have to be more in it to win it up front. With a guy like that, like Derrick Henry, [and the] runner he is, you have to make sure you pack your lunch with him.
“This year, like we said, we have to get back to the fundamentals; get back to making sure we know how to set edges, make sure we know how to play double-team blocks, making sure we know how to do everything we have to do in order to stop the run game like we know how we can.”
DeCosta certainly took some lessons from that dismal playoff game.
After the season, he traded defensive end Chris Wormley to the Steelers and allowed defensive tackle Michael Pierce to hit the free-agent market. (Pierce signed with the Vikings before opting out of the 2020 season over concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The Ravens upgraded by adding Campbell and Wolfe.
Williams has been working closely with Campbell to make sure he’s ready to play in a new system when the season opens Sept. 13 against the Browns.
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“I’ve been helping him with the playbook. We’ve been having conversations about, pretty much, like, what he brings to the table, what I’ve seen on his film that he’s had, what he’s seen from me and how we can pretty much just gel together and play off of each other – just different little things like that. He gets up field.
“He definitely is a commanding guy; he commands two or more people on him. I’m the same way, and so is Wolfe, so offenses … It’s going to be crazy this year. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on for us. He’s a good addition to have for sure.”
This revamped defensive line could pave the way for a deep playoff run.
