Demetrius Williams still titillates the Ravens the way he first did when they saw him at Oregon. Big body, velvet hands, sprinter's speed. The Ravens loved the profile when they drafted him in the fourth round in 2006, and they love it now.
But three years later, they need more than the promise he offers as a deep threat. They need more than three touchdown catches in three seasons. Most of all, they need him to move past a nettlesome ankle injury that has kept him out of 19 games, including playoffs, the past two seasons.
Until Williams proves he can stay on the field and make plays consistently, he is more option than answer for the passing game.
In that light, it's not surprising that the Ravens have explored the possibility of trading for disgruntled veteran receivers such as Anquan Boldin and Brandon Marshall.
"Everybody's seen glimpses of [Williams] the last two years," said Cam Cameron, the Ravens' second-year offensive coordinator. "But in reality, in my mind, we've got to be prepared to play without him."
There were no definitive answers on Williams, 26, during five passing camps this summer. There were, however, plenty of flashes, including a spectacular one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone May 27.
Williams had surgery in November to repair a ligament in his left ankle and remove a calcified bone that had been rubbing against his Achilles' tendon for most of the past two years. Rehabilitation has been steady, if painful.
"The tendon got reattached, [and] it's fully healed," Williams said recently. "Now it's going to be a lot of pain as far as breaking up the scar tissue. Every day seems like it's better. It's a process, and it's going to take some time. I understand that."
So far, the Ravens have been willing to wait. In May, coach John Harbaugh said the seven-week period between the passing camp and training camp was more critical to Williams than anyone else on the team. That's because Williams needs to build a conditioning baseline to handle the rigors of training camp's two-a-days.
"That's going to be really important for him," Harbaugh said. "If [he's not in top condition], he's going to come back and he's going to have a lot of pulls."
Williams made it through seven games last season before going on injured reserve. In his last game, he pulled down a 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, but he couldn't enjoy the moment because of pain in his ankle.
