General Manager Eric DeCosta indicated that a compressed salary cap will not squeeze out veteran nose tackle Brandon Williams.
Williams is entering the final season of a five-year, reported $52.5 million contract he signed in 2017. He's slated to have a salary-cap hit of $14.42 million. If he were released, it would present a $7.5 million savings, per overthecap.com.
The Ravens have the 13th-most salary cap space in the league, so they're in reasonably good position. However, they have several young stars they'd like to reach extensions with this offseason and would still like to have enough money to improve the roster via free agency.
"We don't know what the cap is going to be, so it's hard to say anything definitively," DeCosta said. "But Brandon played good football this year. He's a valued player on the team; it's hard to find guys like him.
"He fits our mentality. He's still a relatively … As a nose tackle, these guys can play for a long time. He plays hard. He plays [well]. He's one of us. He's a Raven through and through. So, yes – I expect him to be on the team."
Williams, 32, showed no signs of slowing down in his eighth season. He started 13 games last season and registered 33 tackles for a unit that ranked eighth in the league in rushing defense. He's also one of the team's defensive leaders and a fun, well-liked player in the locker room.
Another option for getting Williams' 2021 salary-cap hit down is to sign him to an extension. The Ravens have already adjusted Williams' contract multiple times.
