Ravens safety Williams to miss ‘significant’ time

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens will be without their top free agent addition for an extended period.

Free safety Marcus Williams will go on injured reserve with a dislocated wrist and miss “a significant amount of time,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. Harbaugh added that it’s not a season-ending injury.

Williams, 26, is tied for second in the NFL with three interceptions this season and leads Baltimore with five passes defensed. He was the Ravens’ biggest splash in free agency this offseason, signing a five-year, $70 million deal after five seasons as a starter for the New Orleans Saints.

Geno Stone, a seventh-round pick in 2020, stepped into Williams’ spot Sunday night, when the Ravens held Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to 217 yards passing and just one completion over 20 yards. Kyle Hamilton, the No. 14 overall selection in this year’s draft, played only seven snaps in the second half Sunday but he’s considered to be in the mix too.

“Both [Stone and Hamilton] have their own styles, and I think they’re going to both play well for us,” Harbaugh said. “So I’m looking forward to all those guys, as a team [and] as a group, kind of filling in for Marcus and not losing a step on that.”

Williams had been one of the most durable defensive backs in the league. He missed just four games over his first five seasons. Now, Williams becomes the 10th player to go on injured reserve for Baltimore.

Harbaugh believes Williams injured his wrist on one of the first two series Sunday in the 19-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

“He gutted it out,” Harbaugh said. “He didn’t really say too much about it. So I don’t think anybody realized how serious it was until they got inside and took a look at it.”

The Ravens, who have the 31st-ranked pass defense in the NFL, play Daniel Jones and the New York Giants on Sunday.

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