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Per Mike Kaye, veteran S Marcus Williams is visiting with the Panthers on Monday along with S Julian Blackmon.
Williams and the Ravens reworked his contract in January but he was released with a post-June 1 designation that will free up $2,100,000 in cap space and create $6,723,000 in dead money, per OverTheCap.
He was benched last season in Baltimore and his time with the team didn’t work out as planned.
Williams, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Saints back in 2017. He played out the final year of his four-year, $6.2 million contract with New Orleans before the Saints used the franchise tag on him.
Williams made $10.612 million fully guaranteed for the 2021 season and was once again testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent when he signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Ravens.
In 2024, Williams appeared in 11 games for the Ravens and recorded 33 tackles, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery.
We will have more on Williams as it becomes available.
More must-reads:
- Steelers HC Mike Tomlin expands on meeting with Aaron Rodgers amid uncertainty
- Insider questions Jets' Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor decision
- The 'NFL QBs with 2+ five passing touchdown games' quiz
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Former Ravens QB might have just ruined any shot at NFL return
When Anthony Brown first signed up with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent from Oregon, nobody expected him to ever see the field. Unless something wild happened. And then, in 2022, wild things happened. Injuries to both Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley forced the undrafted rookie into action, and the rest is history. Brown stepped in and did what he could, making a start in the Ravens’ regular-season finale against Cincinnati. It was about as bad as it could imagine. He completed 19 passes on 44 attempts for 286 yards, two picks, and a fumble lost. His career in the NFL essentially ended before it could ever begin. Three turnovers are brutal—especially for his first career start... his only career start. The Ravens brought him back the following year to ride with the practice squad, and from there, Brown bounced around. He signed a reserve deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, got waived, and then landed in Arizona before finishing the 2024 season on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. Most recently, he was used as a “Lamar scout team clone” ahead of Buffalo’s playoff win over Baltimore. That pretty much summed up where Brown stood in the NFL hierarchy. Now he’s in Houston, hoping a new football endeavor can be the launching pad for another shot at redemption. Anthony Brown has a terrible debut for the Houston Roughnecks The Houston Roughnecks handed Anthony Brown the starting job heading into their UFL season opener, and it felt like the right call. He had the best resume on the roster, experience in real NFL games, and enough athleticism to keep defenses honest. It was a fresh start and a chance to remind people what made him intriguing in the first place. Instead, things went sideways in the worst way possible. Brown finished the night 5-of-11 for just 21 passing yards and two interceptions in a 31-6 blowout loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks. He added one 20-yard run, but that was about it. The offense never found a rhythm, and Brown struggled to find open targets or establish any kind of flow. It was a rough showing for a guy hoping to make a statement out of the gate. It's no shocker he was benched. Not a great sign when your first start in both the NFL and UFL ends with two picks—that's a tough look. The UFL is a second-chance league, and it’s built for players like Brown. He’s still only 26 and has the tools to be effective. But the window to prove yourself here is small. There are just ten regular-season games, and teams don’t have time to wait around on quarterback development. After a debut like that, the pressure is officially on. To be clear, one game probably won't close the door on an NFL return. But it does raise the stakes. Brown has to bounce back fast if he wants to turn this opportunity into something more. There’s still time—but it's running out fast. He can't continue to struggle like this. Not in the UFL. More Balti
Watch: Five players, two coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves brawl
On Sunday, a brawl broke out early in the second quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 123-104 home win over the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons leading 39-29 and 8:36 remaining in the second quarter, Timberwolves center Naz Reid drove to the basket and Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland II fouled him. Reid and Holland exchanged words after the play. Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo then grabbed Holland's jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were involved in a melee along the baseline. The fight would spill into the stands. As officials stopped it, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni screamed at each other before team personnel separated them. Reid, DiVincenzo, Holland, Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, Pistons guard Marcus Sasser, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were ejected. Pistons assistant coach Luke Walton assumed head-coaching duties for Bickerstaff. Patrick Donnelly of the Associated Press wrote the fight "played out just 20 feet in front of new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez." Bleacher Report shared a video of Rodriguez giving a young fan a jersey after he was caught in the middle of the scuffle. The NBA has yet to announce fines or punishments for players and coaches involved in the skirmish.
Brewers Pitcher Calls Out Yankees for Using 'Torpedo' Bats
The New York Yankees homered 15 times in their 3-0 start to the season, sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. This tied an American League and National League record for the most home runs in the first three games of a season. Part of this explosion is being attributed to newly designed bats that the Yankees are using. They are being called "torpedo" bats because of the untraditional barrel that rests closer to the hitter's hands. Although the bats are legal, baseball has responded with controversial opinions about the bat. “I think it’s terrible,’’ Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill said to Dan Martin of the New York Post. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.” “It took a minute for the shock to go away, since from the bullpen, they looked like bowling pins,’’ Megill added. “We weren’t able to process it. But that’s the game. It’s a big data race, with science and technology playing a huge role in baseball now. You can’t hate them for trying something new.” Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe all used the new bats and homered at least once over the weekend. “The concept makes so much sense. I know I’m bought in,” Volpe said. “The bigger you can have the barrel where you hit the ball, it makes sense to me.”
Watch: Rockets' Dillon Brooks ejected after scuffle with Suns' Kevin Durant
Dillon Brooks was up to his usual antics on Sunday during the Houston Rockets’ game against the Phoenix Suns. Brooks got called for a foul while defending Suns star Kevin Durant midway through the second quarter at Footprint Center in Phoenix. Despite a whistle already being blown, the two players continued to tussle for possession of the basketball. Durant ended up shoving Brooks, who had a huge smile on his face as he continued to jeer at the former NBA MVP. Brooks then turned his attention to Suns center Nick Richards, who came to the defense of KD. Players and coaches eventually got between the group. But Brooks continued to jaw at the referees while being held back by members of the Rockets’ coaching staff. Referee Justin Van Duyne had enough of Brooks. After officials called a double technical foul on Brooks and Durant, Van Duyne gave Brooks one more to get him tossed out of the building. Brooks left the contest with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting. Richards also received a technical foul. The testy moment may have fired up Brooks’ teammates. Houston closed the half on a 23-11 run to take a commanding 78-49 lead at the break. Brooks clearly relishes getting under the skin of opposing superstars. You can form an All-Star team with the players who have had beef with Brooks. The growing list includes names like LeBron James, Trae Young, Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson and now Durant.
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