REPORT: Darious Williams was listed as one of the finest free agency deals.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports seems to concur when he listed LA’s Williams contract as one of the finest early steals of the 2024 free agency window:

Large sums of money? Not right now, in this situation. Williams is coming off a ball-magnet season with the Jaguars in which he had four interceptions and a career-high 19 pass breakups, but he is returning to Los Angeles on a contract that doesn’t even make the list of the top 20 cornerback salaries. Given that cornerbacks are infamously erratic, a drop-off is feasible as they approach 31. However, the Rams’ comeback makes them appear much stronger in the secondary once more, Benjamin wrote on March 14.

Williams’ trade with the Los Angeles Rams included Russell Wilson of the Oakland Raiders, Aaron Jones of the Vikings, Gus Edwards of the Chargers, John Simpson of the Jets, Mitch Morse of the Jaguars, Leonard Floyd of the 49ers, Jordan Hicks of the Browns, Geno Stone of the Bengals, and Jordan Whitehead of the Buccaneers.

Even if the six-year veteran’s addition didn’t make much news, it was still a good addition. The Rams needed familiarity, and they got it along with some much-needed secondary support. Indeed, Williams is getting older—he turns 31 tomorrow—and it is reasonable to wonder if LA spent too much for him.

But his caliber of play and the impact he will have as a veteran on the younger secondary players will make the Rams’ acquisition of him worthwhile. His age doesn’t bother me until there’s an abrupt decline in his play once the season starts.

Let’s all just settle in for the moment; this wasn’t even close to the Titans overpaying for Calvin Ridley.