While the Detroit Lions had their best regular season in franchise history last year, they struggled defensively, especially against the pass, giving up 247.1 yards per game, second-most in the NFL in 2024.
This offseason, they made some changes in their secondary, switching out Carlton Davis, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kindle Vildor and Emmanuel Moseley for D.J. Reed, Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin.
While the cornerback room may be better, the safety room didn't experience much. Detroit had just one safety hit the market this year, Kerby Joseph, and they re-signed him to a five-year, $85 million deal.
If the season started today, they'd have Joseph and Brian Branch starting at safety, but their depth is lacking. 2024 undrafted free agent Morice Norris and 2025 seventh-round pick Dan Jackson would likely be the top backups, and if Joseph or Branch were to miss time, things could get bad in Detroit's backend.
That's why SB Nation's Jeremy Reisman is pointing to veteran safety Marcus Williams as someone the Lions could sign before the start of the upcoming season.
"I believe the Lions could use a veteran in the safety room, not just to provide much-needed experience behind their two starters but also to help get rookie Dan Jackson up to speed.
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"Williams has five years of experience in this defense from his days with the Saints—four of which directly overlapped with Dan Campbell’s time in New Orleans. The biggest downside here is that Williams may be seeking a starting role and hasn’t regularly played on special teams since 2018."
The 28-year-old played collegiately at Utah from 2014-16, earning All-Pac-12 honors twice during his time with the Utes.
The New Orleans Saints selected him in the second round (No. 42 overall) and gave him a starting job as a rookie. In five seasons with the Saints, he appeared and started in 76 games, recording 320 tackles, 38 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, one sack and an interception.
After landing a five-year, $70 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022, Williams appeared in just 32 games over the last three years before being released. When he was healthy enough to be on the field, he recorded 149 tackles, 18 passes defensed, five interceptions and two fumbles recovered.
If Williams is willing to accept a role as a third safety, he'd be a great addition to new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit.
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