The team could be bringing in an experienced option to compete for a starting spot on the interior “soon.”
With both starting guard spots up for grabs and the competition for backup center wide open as well per head coach John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens are doing their due diligence on one of the top interior veteran offensive linemen left on the open market. According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team hosted free-agent interior lineman Connor Williams for a visit on Monday.
Free-agent offensive lineman Connor Williams visited the Ravens today. He is said to be considering both the Ravens and Seahawks proposals right now and “should make a decision soon.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 5, 2024
Williams possesses the positional flexibility and starting experience to play both guard and center. He appeared in 83 career games and has made 77 starts including nearly every contest he has been healthy for dating back to his second year in the league.
Originally a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft, he most recently played for the Miami Dolphins where he started the entire season at center and was a full-time starter this past season until he suffered a torn ACL in early December after nine appearances.
If signed, Williams would come in and immediately be the Ravens’ most experienced interior offensive lineman and insert himself in the running for either of the starting guard vacancies. Although, it seems second-year pro Andrew Vorhees might still be in pole position to be the next left guard regardless of who else is brought in short of an improbable trade for a proven and healthier option.
An even more immediate need his addition would address is at backup center behind Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum who has missed the team’s last three practices. Among those in the running now include fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland who is a natural guard heading into a contract year, seventh-round rookie Nick Semac who is recovering from a leg injury of his own, undrafted rookie Darrian Dalcourt and other players currently competing to start at other spots too.
“It is an open competition right now, and you have Patrick Mekari in that mix, too,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We’re going to work Ben [Cleveland], we’re going to work [Andrew] Vorhees in there. We’re going to work all of those guys.”
Schefter also reported that Williams has received interest from the Seattle Seahawks who poached former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach at the onset of the offseason. General manager Eric DeCosta has apparently already extended a deal proposal to Williams who said he “should make a decision soon” per reports.
Of the two teams with reported offers on the table, Williams would have the clearest path to seeing the field in Seattle. Their interior offensive line is also in flux but they don’t have a Pro Bowl anchor in the middle at center like the Ravens nor do they have definitive starters at guard. However, in Baltimore, he would have a chance to be a part of a true Super Bowl-contending team albeit as a highly valued and coveted backup in a similar fashion to Sam Mustipher last season.
Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, went on the Joe Rose Radio Show Monday and said he expects his client to sign “within the next 48-72 hours.” He also mentioned that other teams are in the mix for the 27-year-old’s services but that the Seahawks are leading the pack.