With the departure of Arthur Jones to Indianapolis, the Ravens will first look within for his replacement.
As is often the case, it will give a young player an opportunity to establish himself.
"Brandon Williams is a big part of our plan," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. "He is a guy that automatically comes to mind."
The Ravens drafted Williams out of Missouri Southern State in the third round last year, and he came with a ton of physical potential.
The 6-foot-1, 335-pound defensive tackle wowed the Ravens and fans with his ability to walk on his hands, and stories spread of his strength lifting and tossing port-a-potties. He may have the biggest arms of any player on the team.
But being a small-school prospect, Williams needed work on his technique and other adjustments to the NFL game. He flashed sometimes and was missing others.
Williams was active for five straight games (Weeks 4 - 9) and recorded five tackles and a sack of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during that time. But Williams suited up for just two more games after that five-game stretch.
Harbaugh envisions Williams working on the interior of the defensive line along with Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata, who has helped mentor the youngster. Both players can play nose tackle and three-technique over the guard, Harbaugh said.
Williams will be tested this summer to see if he's ready to become a starter or large role player.
"Chris Canty, for instance, is not going to line up in two-on-one combination block drills," Harbaugh said. "But Brandon Williams is. He needs it."
Another second-year player, defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, will also factor into the equation. The Ravens drafted Lewis-Moore out of Notre Dame in the sixth round. He was a captain and very productive player for the Fighting Irish, but tore his ACL in the 2013 BCS Championship.
Lewis-Moore spent the entire offseason and some of the regular season rehabbing, and was healthy enough to eventually join practice for three weeks, but was never activated and remained on the reserve-non-football injury list.
Lewis-Moore mostly projects as a five-technique, Harbaugh said, but can probably play some three-technique that would put him more over the guard than the offensive tackle. In terms of size, the 6-foot-4, 298-pound Lewis-Moore more closely resembles Jones (6-3, 315).
Defensive end DeAngelo Tyson could also be a player to emerge. He came on toward the end of the season and played in 13 games with 10 tackles, two sacks and one leaping interception in Detroit.
The Ravens could also make a move to bolster the position too.
"I would say we're not done yet," Harbaugh said. "We've still got some work to do in there to build depth."
