Marcus Williams has to practice against QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, and the Baltimore Ravens’ offense. He’s just happy he doesn’t have to face them on gameday. Joining NFL Network’s The Insiders Thursday night, Williams talked about adding Henry to a run-minded offense that could make life tough on Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, and the rest of the AFC North this year.
“We’re not going to go into how I’m going to tackle them,” Williams said when asked about stopping Jackson and Henry. “Because I don’t gotta tackle them. That’s all about the other team now…These other safeties that’s gotta go up against them in the division, they’re going to have a tough time. Lamar looks good, he’s throwing the ball great. He’s smooth, he’s fast. I can’t wait to see both of them on the field at the same time.”
After a long and excellent career with the Tennessee Titans, Henry signed a two-year deal with the Ravens this offseason. Baltimore’s backfield saw big changes, losing starter Gus Edwards, but the Ravens have upgraded the position with a similar style runner. Despite being counted on as the Titans’ lead back for nearly a decade, Henry’s shown little signs of slowing down. In 2023, he rushed for nearly 1,200 yards, had a strong run-success rate, and still showed he could rip off big plays.
His yards per carry fell to a career-low 4.2 but the Ravens’ dynamic offense could open up running lanes. Baltimore’s improved passing offense makes the unit more versatile with the additions of last year’s first-round pick Zay Flowers and rookie Tez Walker.
Fitzpatrick versus Henry will be a fun matchup to watch. For the Steelers’ sake, the fewer tackles Fitzpatrick has to make, the better. But run defense is an 11-man job and against teams like Baltimore, everyone must do their job. There will be times where Fitzpatrick has to fill the alley to make a stop in the hole or prevent a good Henry run from becoming a great one. He’s proven to be a great tackler and open-field stopper, but few backs of this era have the combination of power and explosiveness Henry possesses.
It’s one reason why the Steelers added a true strong safety in DeShon Elliott. A former Raven himself, Elliott is a competent box player and run defender. During spring practices, DC Teryl Austin praised Elliott’s demeanor.
“He’s tough, he’s a striker, he brings some toughness in that secondary where he’s gonna get down in there and he can punish some ball carriers,” Austin told reporters.
Pittsburgh’s safeties will have to wait to see Henry and Baltimore. The two teams won’t play until Week 11, the Steelers’ first AFC North game of the year and first of four-straight divisional games. The Steelers and Ravens will play their rematch in Week 16.
